Two sisters reported their older brother was sexually abusing them for four consecutive years, when they were both under the age of 13, it emerged on Tuesday.

The abuse started 12 years ago, when the sisters were aged 6 and 8, while the defendant was 15, Philenews reported.

Limassol district court referred the case to the criminal court on Monday, which will convene in mid-March this year.

The now 27-year-old brother faces 25 charges related to offences of sexual exploitation of a child, attempted corruption of a girl under the age of 13, common assault, making threats, rape, incest and sexual abuse of a child.

The court ordered the 27-year-old be released on bail pending trial. He must post bail of €10,000, be put on the stop list and surrender his travel documents while he must report to a Limassol police station daily.

It also issued an order not to approach the complainants within 50 metres nor to enter their homes.

In November, Commissioner for Children’s Rights Despo Michaelidou said one child is sexually abused every 27 hours in Cyprus. Some 324 such cases were reported in 2020 and 241 in the six months from January to June 2021, corresponding to 83 per cent of the number of cases reported for the 12 months of 2019.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,176 children who were sexual abused have called out for help at the Children’s House which was established in Cyprus in 2017, data showed in November.

To tackle and prevent child sexual abuse and harassment, a three-year-action plan was approved early 2021.

Adults with experiences of sexual abuse or exploitation in childhood can receive free therapy sessions since December last year, the Cyprus Family Planning Association (CFPA) had announced following a 2019 cabinet decision.