u/throwaway_sugar18

I (20F) experienced COCSA by my younger brother (now 18) for several years when we were both young teenagers. Our father also abused both of us, though I had no idea my brother was being abused at the time. He has a history of assaulting a baby, a 5 year old, our neighbor's children that were around our age, and animals. Dad told me if I ever reported it we'd be taken away by CPS (I had also been assaulted in the foster system). I finally moved away from that awful hell house and went to live with my mom. About a year later, my brother came to live with us. Mom knew he had abused me, but she told me I should give him a chance because he changed. He did not. I had to report both him and my dad to the cops, dad committed suicide because of it, and my brother was sent to some kind of group home in a different part of the state.

Mom was constantly visiting him, doting on him, buying him things, etc. during this time even though I didn't want her to. She was also in SEVERE psychosis and there was nothing I could do to get her to take her medicine. She spent every penny of my college fund on herself and new gaming stuff for him. I described everything he did in excruciating detail and everyone in the family seemed to just kind of brush it off and say "well he'll always be family, so we forgive him."

He recently aged out of that group home and I made it VERY clear that if mom let him live with her I'll be cutting off contact. Thank god I live in a different house now, but hers is only a mile away and I just wasn't comfortable with him being so close since he still has a recent history of violence. The very first thing she said was "well he hasn't done anything to me, so I think he's changed." We got into a huge fight where she kept saying he was abused in the past and thats just what kids do when they're abused. I said I was in the exact same situation and I have never ONCE done even close to what he's done. I asked if she believed me and she pretty much said "I know he'd do that, but I just don't think it matters. You can't keep me away from my son." I completely cut off contact at that point.

I literally feel like I'm losing my mind. I need someone to tell me I'm not overreacting because why the fuck is nobody taking me seriously? Am I insane for thinking family isn't an excuse for this kind of thing? The abuse he put me through was absolutely brutal and I was hospitalized multiple times but I'm kind of detached from it. The victimization of a BABY by a teenager should be unforgivable to anyone. That entire side of the family is disgusting for excusing it and I'm better off without them anyway.