by CrimePsych | Nov 11, 2020 | Blog
With the ease of sharing information over social media, we have seen the formation of self-proclaimed paedophile hunters. Almost everyone re-posts and shares information on known paedophiles in the area and most think they are doing an excellent service. I have heard police officers privately say that they think they are good as the police are understaffed and overstretched.
Vigilante groups such as these are not illegal, however, care must be taken to ensure they stay within the law and avoid arrest themselves. I remember the first time I saw one of these groups hunting paedophiles and posting the videos on a popular platform. I thought to my self ‘but that man could be anyone, I haven’t seen the evidence they say that they have. What if they just held a grudge towards this person?’
A vigilante is defined as an individual or group acting as a form of law enforcement without authority. Of course, there are more vigilante groups than paedophile hunters, but these are the ones that get the most public attention. These groups are taking the job of enforcing the law into their own hands. Often, they only work under their moral guidelines and have no formal training or knowledge of the law. These groups most commonly work on social media and messaging apps to snare potential child groomers. They will masquerade as a child and chat online with suspected paedophiles. Decoys record the targets attempts to get the ‘child’ to perform sexual acts on web cameras or meet for sex. They keep a record of their interactions and often film their interaction when they meet and confront the paedophile.
Top police officers have warned in the past that vigilante paedophile hunters should stop because they risk tampering with probes into child grooming. Humberside police write on their website:
Whilst we share the concerns of online vigilante groups and individuals who want to expose potential child sex offenders – or so-called ‘paedophile hunters’ – we need to make it clear again that their actions can be extremely problematic and can create more problems than they solve. It remains that we do not condone the methods these groups employ which have already divided public opinion. We encourage those involved with these groups to contact us and pass on any evidence they may have and not to post or stream videos online which itself carries its own risks. We also dissuade the public from sharing such videos through social media channels. https://www.humberside.police.uk/online-vigilante-groups
When vigilante groups record and post their videos online, it can create a range of problems. During the actual ‘sting’ if passers-by know of the group and people, they may attack the paedophile causing more offences to be committed and a further stretch on police resources. The dangers posed by vigilantes also extend beyond the actual confrontations. When the interactions are shared online, there are going to be people who recognise or know the person being confronted. This may cause local people to target family or loved ones of the target. Also, if the target person leaves, they then have time to potentially destroy important evidence.
However, it can be hard to argue against these groups. As a mother, I want to protect my family and would want those willing to harm them off the streets. Supporters of the groups see the vigilantes as a valuable resource that could be harnessed by the police to become an even more effective crime-fighting tool. These groups have led to the discovery and successful prosecution of many offenders.
As work has continued, many of these vigilante groups work within the law and the information they gather can be used as evidence. The BBC reports several cases that have been successfully prosecuted:
Recent high profile scalps claimed by vigilante groups include Mark McKenna, 38, who sent explicit photos, a video and many messages to someone he believed was an 11-year-old girl, Paul Platten, 38, who sent naked pictures of himself to a vigilante posing as a 13-year-old girl, and Andrew Sealey, 39, who was caught in a sting operation in a theme park after telling one fake teenager: “It’s OK you being a virgin and 15, I don’t mind.” All were convicted in court with evidence from the vigilantes forming part of the prosecution. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-37708233
The success of vigilante groups is hard to argue against. However, these groups are not required to follow any kind of a protocol and may gather evidence which falls well below official law enforcement standards. These groups post the content to social media before any convictions are gained. This jeopardises any jury decision making and puts the offender and their families at risk.
The infamous case of Michael Duff was followed by the BBC; he took his own life two days after a video of him being confronted by a self-styled paedophile hunter was uploaded to Facebook. His daughter spoke out against the group and claimed that he may not have committed any crime at all.
In our society, we agree to the norms and laws that are set. It is a rule book that we agree to abide with. Therefore, groups or individuals who take it upon themselves to act as law enforcers can be problematic. They are only governed by their own moral standards, not the law. An accusation does not automatically mean they are guilty. Allegations of rape and paedophilia can be very harmful and can permanently damage the reputation of the induvial even if they are found not guilty.
I believe the way forward is for these motivated vigilantes to work closely alongside police. This will mean they are fully aware of the legal parameters and framework.
by CrimePsych | Nov 3, 2020 | Blog
You will have heard the term eyewitness testimony before, but have you heard of weapon focus? An eyewitness is considered to be someone who has seen or hear a crime being committed. When the police are investigating a criminal act, they interview everyone who was in the area at the time to determine whether they saw or heard anything which may be of use in securing a prosecution.
Witnessing a crime can be a distressing event for some people, especially if it is violent or involves a weapon. Plus, psychological studies into memory show that we recall different types of information in different ways and this can cause inaccuracies and biases. People can make mistakes when trying to remember specific pieces of information. It is possible to remember whole events that did not happen.
Weapon focus is the concentration on a weapon by a witness of a crime and the subsequent inability to accurately remember other details of the crime. The presence of an unexpected weapon such as a gun or knife can impair the eyewitness’s memory for the perpetrator as well as other details of a criminal event. In other words, the eyewitness focuses so heavily on the weapon that they are not able to remember other details about the crime.
For example, you could be shown two pictures of a tennis court with a man holding one of two items. In the first picture, the man is holding a tennis racket. In the second picture, he is holding a gun. You would be able to tell me much more details about the scene when the man is holding a racket. That is because you would not expect to see a man holding a gun at a tennis match, but you would expect him to be holding the bat.
In normal day to day interactions, there is a lot of information available to us. It would be impossible to give our attention to every single bit of it. A simple 1 to 1 conversation produces a lot of information. We simply cannot process all of that information as fast as the person is talking to us.
Therefore, we have developed ways of attending to some types of information and not others. We use subconscious shortcuts to process the huge amount of information we receive. We use schemas to create shortcuts so that we don’t have to pay attention to every single piece of information. A schema is a cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information.
Schemas can be useful because they allow us to take shortcuts in interpreting the vast amount of information that is available in our environment. As experiences happen and new information is presented, new schemas are developed and old schemas are changed or modified. Schemas allow us to know what certain things are or how to act in various environments. For example, if we walked into a library we know that we are expected to be quiet. If a person comes in and is not quiet then we are more likely to pay attention to it because it is different.
We are also biased to some information and can take in some bits of information and ignore others. We might actively look or listen for certain pieces of information. We may not think some information will tell us anything and so ignore it. We create a simple set of rules of the types of things we should and shouldn’t look out for to tell when someone is lying. We then use these rules as mental shortcuts without even thinking about it.
These mental shortcuts are the processes that force our attention onto an unexpected weapon and remember fewer details about other aspects of the event.
There are many studies that have proven that the presence of an unexpected weapon reduces how accurately someone identifies the suspect or other details of the event. How much of a distraction the presence of a weapon causes has been found to vary according to the characteristics of the eyewitness, the scenario in which the weapon is encountered in and the procedure through which memory is tested. As a result, each of these factors (witness, scenario, testing procedure) must be considered prior to evaluating the risk of weapon focus for any given situation.
Large scale studies have proven that there is a greater focus on the weapon in situations judged to be threatening or arousing or involving criminal compared to non-criminal events. However, researchers have been unable to quantify the magnitude of these effects.
by CrimePsych | Oct 27, 2020 | Blog
The term Gaslighting has become more and more common. Most people tend to recognise gaslighting as being manipulated. However, this can be a little misleading. Gaslighting is actually the effect that the manipulation has on the person that has been subjected to emotional and psychological manipulation tactics.
Some people manipulate others and can convince them that they are in the wrong and makes the victim doubt and doesn’t trust their own judgement any more. This doubt leads the victim to believe what the manipulator says is right.
These manipulators use various tactics in a covert way, so much so that their aggressive intentions are well hidden. Those who are being manipulated may feel like something is not right, but with continued manipulation come to believe that this doubt should be directed at their own judgements rather than towards the manipulator.
This type of manipulation makes people believe that the manipulator is right and any doubt should be focused on the victim’s inner thoughts or beliefs. A manipulator may say things such as ‘it’s all in your head’ or ‘you’re imagining it’. These kinds of statements lead to the gaslighting effect.
The manipulator denies and invalidates the victim’s reality. It undermines the victim’s view of the world and reality. In extreme cases, this manipulation can lead to a person questioning their own sanity. This manipulation is used to make a person think or act in ways they wouldn’t have otherwise done. The thoughts and acts of the victim are always in the interest of the manipulator and for their benefit.
This manipulation of changes is done slowly over time. The victim will be led down the path of doubting themselves and believing what they are told by the abuser. Of course, the victim will have no idea that this is happening to them. Manipulation of another person is always about power and control.
Manipulators will instil shame on their victims. They will use words that create doubt and evoke fear. When this is done day after day, victims will easily back down from their beliefs. Along the way, the victim may feel like something isn’t right, they may even voice this. However, the manipulators will usually say things like ‘you are not making any sense’ or ‘I know what I said and it wasn’t that’. The more manipulators can get their victims to doubt themselves, the more likely they are to adopt the thoughts and behaviours of the manipulator.
Those who have been victims of this kind of abuse and gaslighting effect for prolonged periods can suffer lasting negative effects. The manipulators have worked tirelessly to bring about this self-doubt and will struggle to trust themselves once again. However, it is possible to recover by engaging with trained professionals in counselling.
We are all guilty of trying to manipulate other people from time to time. However, the older we get the more skilled we are and the more emotionally mature we become. Narcissists have no emotional maturity and are manipulating 100% of the time. Manipulation is always found where there is emotional immaturity and/or power imbalances.
All tactics of manipulation, even lying, contribute to the gaslighting effect. There can be several different types of manipulation used. For example, stonewalling. Stonewalling is when the manipulator/abuser pretends they don’t understand what you are telling them.
Another tactic is to counter what the victim is saying and questions the memory of them with phrases such as ‘you never remember things correctly’ or ‘get your facts straight’. The manipulator/abuser may block or divert questions or answers. They may simply refuse to answer, change the subject, or blame the victim. They may say things such as ‘why do you always have to blame me’ or ‘you are always picking fights. The manipulator may even deny reality or intentionally forget things. Phrases such as ‘you never told me that’ or ‘I know what I said and it wasn’t that’ may be used.
The most important thing to do if you think you may be being manipulated and experiencing the gaslighting effect, the first step is to try and think about the situation from both points of view. Talking to trusted friends or family about it may help. It can help to talk with a few people to get different points of view.
Ask yourself the question ‘are they doing this out of a desire to control me, or are they struggling with the idea of not being in control themselves?’ If you are able to think about the situation or behaviour, it can be helpful to try and think logically rather than emotionally. When we are emotional, we tend to react, it is always better to respond after some thought.
The person may not even realise that they are being manipulative, it may not be coming from a will to control and dominate. They may be experiencing feelings of insecurity in other areas of their lives. Sometimes, it can be more to do with feelings of them having little or no power in the relationship.
Try to find a mutual time to talk it over if you feel this would help. Sometimes, bringing things up during an argument can be seen as an attack rather than a desire to understand. Therefore, plan ahead of time to talk.
Sometimes though, this manipulation is used as a deliberate tactic to cause someone to feel more insecure, less confident, and change their reality and thinking. In this case, it is a totally unacceptable thing to do and a highly abusive pattern of behaviour. Seek help and advice from support websites and phone lines.
by CrimePsych | Oct 21, 2020 | Blog
During the month of October, Crimepsych is focusing on building awareness of domestic abuse. Domestic abuse can come in many forms including verbal, physical, and emotional forms. Both men and women can inflict the abuse or be the victim. Domestic abuse is not limited to age either.
However, one aspect that is not always widely discussed is how abusive relationships can affect children. There are many aspects to consider when answering this question. Firstly, the age of the child or children should be considered. A toddler will be affected differently than a teenager. Secondly, every child is different and will react differently or face various challenges. The third thing to consider is how you should approach talking to your child or getting the help and support they need. Of course, there is the question of how to keep children safe if they are living in a home with an abusive parent.
No matter how much you try to shield your children, they will be aware of the abuse. One source states that children are aware of 80% of occurrences even when the abused parent believes the children are not aware of what is going on. (https://bethesdahouse.ca/about-abuse/the-effects-of-relationship-abuse-on-children/ )
Children may see violence directly or see the bruises or cuts after. They may hear constant arguments. They may see one parent being fearful or anxious all the time. This can be very conflicting for a child. They may love each parent deeply and not want to take sides. They may even try to retaliate to protect the abused parent.
We know from many studies within psychology that children learn behaviours and acceptable behaviour that they observe. Living in a home with an abusive parent may lead a child to think that is a normal dynamic in a relationship and an acceptable way to behave. Many children who live with an abused parent are often victims of physical violence too. This can cause many negative effects on their physical or mental health. Children who witness violence between parents may also be at greater risk of being violent in their future relationships. If you are a parent who is experiencing abuse, it can be difficult to know how to protect your child.
Young preschool-aged children who witness physical violence at home may revert to acting in ways they did when they were younger. Younger children may start bedwetting again, they may have disturbed sleep patterns and be on a constant state of alert. They may develop anxiety and become very cling to their parent.
Because older school-aged children have a better understanding of the world, they may display different behaviours. Very often, they will feel guilty about the abuse and blame themselves. They may become more isolated and withdraw from social activities both inside and outside of school. They may act out and get into more trouble.
Teens who witness abuse may act out in negative ways, such as fighting with family members or skipping school. They may also engage in risky behaviours, such as having unprotected sex and using alcohol or drugs. They may have low self-esteem and have trouble making friends. They may start fights or bully others and are more likely to get in trouble with the law. This type of behaviour is more common in teen boys who are abused in childhood than in teen girls. Girls are more likely than boys to be withdrawn and to experience depression.
Each child responds differently to abuse and trauma. Some children are more resilient, and some are more sensitive. Children who witness or are victims of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse are at higher risk for health problems as adults. These can include mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. They may also include diabetes, obesity, heart disease, poor self-esteem, and other problems.
Women’s aid website neatly summarizes some of the effects of domestic abuse on children. They state:
Children are individuals and may respond to witnessing abuse in different ways. These are some of the effects described in a briefing by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2004):
- They may become anxious or depressed
- They may have difficulty sleeping
- They have nightmares or flashbacks
- They can be easily startled
- They may complain of physical symptoms such as tummy aches and may start to wet their bed
- They may have temper tantrums and problems with school
- They may behave as though they are much younger than they are
- They may become aggressive or they may internalise their distress and withdraw from other people
- They may have a lowered sense of self-worth
- Older children may begin to play truant, start to use alcohol or drugs, begin to self-harm by taking overdoses or cutting themselves or have an eating disorder
Children may also feel angry, guilty, insecure, alone, frightened, powerless or confused. They may have ambivalent feelings towards both the abuser and the non-abusing parent. https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/what-is-domestic-abuse/impact-on-children-and-young-people/
It may not be possible or even safe to leave an abusive relationship. It is important that if you do decide to leave you take steps to ensure you and your children are safe. The first step is to make sure your child knows the abuse isn’t their fault and violence is never ok, even when someone they love is being abusive.
You could contact the police to help you to leave safely. Talk about a safety plan with your children before you leave. Arrange for a safe place for the children to be. You may wish to inform their school to ensure the abusive parent doesn’t remove them. If you do leave your children with someone, discuss a safe word that they can use to let you know they need help. It’s also important to tell them that their job is to stay safe, not protect you.
You could pack a small bag before you leave with all your important documents in. You may be able to leave this at friends, family members, or locker away from your home. Finally, memorize any important numbers in case you have to leave without your phone.
There are many websites that offer advice and support to abused parents and their children. I have included a few here. If you know someone who is being abused, you can help by offering support and advice. However, they may not be safe to stay with you if the abusive partner suspects they may go there.
Although children will probably never forget what they saw or experienced during the abuse, they can learn healthy ways to deal with their emotions and memories as they mature. The sooner a child gets help, the better his or her chances for becoming a mentally and physically healthy adult.
You can help your children by helping them to feel safe. Children who witness or experience domestic violence need to feel safe. Consider whether leaving the abusive relationship might help your child feel safer. Talk to your child about the importance of healthy relationships. Talking to them about their fears. Let them know that it’s not their fault or your fault.
by CrimePsych | Oct 6, 2020 | Blog
When I first thought about studying the subject, I didn’t even know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Life experience has taught me that there is no such thing as a silly question. If I am wondering, someone else probably is too. So, a psychiatrist is a medically trained doctor who has gone on to specialise in mental heal and psychiatric conditions. Psychiatrists can diagnose and treat a range of serious psychiatric conditions such as paranoia, psychosis, schizophrenia, personality disorders and so on.
Psychologists do not have a medical degree, they have a philosophical, or thinking, degree. The primary difference is that psychiatrists can prescribe medication for psychiatric conditions and psychologists can’t. Psychologists provide talking therapies for people and study a range of behaviours. Psychologists can also be involved in researching the various aspects of the brain and behaviour.
Let’s begin with a definition of psychology: Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behaviour in a given context.
Psychology is a wide area of studies. It encompasses a wide range of studies relevant to many aspects of our day to day life. Psychologists want to seek to understand what influences our behaviour, what drives our behaviour. We want to understand how things like medications, drugs, or brain injuries can change the ways we behave in society. Psychology can help to explore, understand and fix, many of the problems that we face in society today.
You may very well have thought of a psychologist as a counsellor. One which you go to when you are having mental health difficulties such as anxiety, stress or depression and you want to resolve those psychological issues. Although that is one of the areas within psychology, it is much more wide-ranging.
Whilst that is one area that psychologists operate in, it is much wider-ranging than that. Psychologists seek to understand the thoughts, emotions, and mental processes that we have. The overall aim of psychology is to seek to understand thoughts, feeling, emotion, the motivations, and the biology and mechanisms behind those processes. We do this though varies studies, through observation, through testing and measuring. We do this through various types of studies that involve observation, by testing and measuring differences in behaviour. We form reliable and statistically tested studies to prove or disprove certain aspects of psychology.
Different areas within psychology.
Clinical psychology. People seek the help of clinical psychologists to help with things such as traumatic childhood events. To deal with trauma, to deal with bereavement. To help to prevent alleviate or change things such as depression, anxiety, and stress. They do this through talking therapies that are designed to change the way we think about the word or ourselves and others. Cognitive behavioural therapy seeks to change our thinking patterns and deal with everyday problems in life, or how to handle stress or anxiety better. They offer one to one and group counselling sessions to deal with a variety of things such as depression, addiction, pain management and so on.
Biopsychology. This area of psychology is concerned with the brain and neurotransmitters. Bio psychologists work to discover the various ways in which neurons, synapses, neurotransmitters all work in combination to affect our behaviour, to affect our memory, to affect various sections of our brain. They aim to discover how these changes affect our behaviour.
Educational psychology. This is a wide area of study and it is widely applied within the educational system. Unsurprisingly, educational psychology examines the ways in which we learn and how we develop. Educational psychologists will often work in schools and they help when they have developmental difficulties or learning difficulties or struggle in a social setting with various mental health disorders and difficulties. The aim of an educational psychologist is to support children, young people, their families and schools to promote the emotional and social wellbeing of young people.
Cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology examines how we perceive the world and how we interact with our surroundings and the thoughts and processes that underlie those actions. It studies mental processes such as thoughts, memory, problem-solving, language and so on. Cognitive psychology studies the mind as an information processor.
Criminal or forensic psychology. (Also known as legal psychology.) This area of study applies psychological principles to all areas of law enforcement and the judicial system. There is also an area known as investigative psychology. This is concerned with applying established psychological principles to aspects of crime and criminal behaviour and seeks to improve the practices of the police, the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs that are delivered both inside prisons and in the community. The terms criminal psychology and forensic psychology are often used interchangeably as though they are the same thing. However, there is a slightly different focus for each.
Social psychology. This area focuses on how we behave in social settings such as in our communities and neighbourhoods. How we behave in large shopping centres. How we interact with others that we know or those that we don’t know. It also looks at behaviours such as how we form groups. How leaders are created are formed and evolve. It explores the various ways that we can have an influence or impact on each other.
Industrial or Occupational psychology. Unsurprisingly, this deals with work-related psychology. It deals with aspects such as the hiring process, which candidates might be suitable for particular roles within a business. They may lead behavioural change programs or courses on problem-solving. They may design and run conflict resolution courses. Overall, occupational psychologists aim to increase the effectiveness of the organisation and improve the job satisfaction of individuals. The speciality is broader in scope and less formalised than many areas of psychology and it covers diverse fields, including ergonomics, personnel management and time management.
There are many other smaller areas within psychology and it would be impossible for me to cover them all here. There are areas such as sports psychology which seek to improve the performance of athletes. There is an area of psychology that covers every area of life. There is the psychology of music. Every advert or poster that you see is based on what we know about psychology and behaviour.
Some psychologists are involved in helping people with addictions. They seek to help people by teaching them how to change their patterns of behaviour through courses such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
There is also an area of psychology that studies the ways in which we use medications or how various medications can influence us. These are not just drugs for various mental health conditions, but drugs that we may become addicted to or dependant on, for example, pain killers. We need to know how various compounds affect us psychologically so that warning labels can be put on prescription medications.
These areas of study are not an exhaustive list, but they do give you some idea of how diverse the study of psychology is. Although it is diverse, all areas of psychology are about examining our mind, thought processes and behaviour. Psychology helps us to understand the ways in which we learn and the ways in which we interact.
by CrimePsych | Sep 28, 2020 | Blog
When we think about rape, we usually imagine a man raping a woman. However, men can and do get raped in a variety of contexts. 20% of women and 4% of men have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16. However, rape is one of the most under-reported crimes with low conviction rates.
Approximately 85,000 women and 12,000 men (aged 16 – 59) experience rape, attempted rape or sexual assault by penetration in England and Wales alone every year; that’s roughly 11 an hour. However, only around 15% of those who experience sexual violence report to the police. Around 8% of cases reported to police are taken to trial. Here, survivors face further challenges. As the psychologist Judith Herman has noted, “if one set out intentionally to design a system for provoking symptoms of traumatic stress it would look very much like a court of law”.
Approximately 5 to 10% of rape victims are male. These rates are not likely to reflect the true rates of male rape victims. Men are often unwilling to report sexual assault experiences.
Studies of male rape victims found that of those that sought treatment, between 6 to 15% of assaults involved a female perpetrator. Rapes on men can occur when the victims are homosexual or heterosexual. One study found that 13.2% of bisexual men and 11.6% of gay men reporting a history of rape in adulthood.
One of the reasons that men are so reluctant to report rape is due to the myths surrounding male rape. It is co0mmon to find prejudicial, stereotyped or false beliefs about rape, rape victims, and rapists in many sectors of society.
More recently, there has been a focus on the existence of rape myths related to male rape victims, which include: (a) men cannot be raped; (b) “real” men can defend themselves against rape; (c) only gay men are victims and/or perpetrators of rape; (d) men are not affected by rape (or not as much as women); (e) a woman cannot sexually assault a man; (f) male rape only happens in prisons; (g) sexual assault by someone of the same sex causes homosexuality; (h) homosexual and bisexual individuals deserve to be sexually assaulted because they are immoral and deviant, and (i) if a victim physically responds to an assault he must have wanted it.
Some people hold the belief that man should live up the heterosexual masculine ideal and possess traits such as toughness, independence, aggressiveness, and dominance. This has begun to change in recent years with many campaigns that highlight mental health in males. Historically, men have been expected to be caretakers and providers. Their emotional needs have largely been ignored.
Research from as little as 20 years ago found that male victims of rape are blamed more than female victims. A man’s sexuality can be brought into question when questioning rape. A popular myth about male rape is that they should be strong enough to fight off their attacker so must have enjoyed it.
Myths surrounding sexual assault and rape of males can deter victims from reporting the crime, and also serve to conceal and minimize male rape, which has devastating consequences for the male victim.
Unfortunately, rape is still often seen as an issue for women and women alone despite changes in the law. There are many support groups and support resources for women. However, there are less available for men and even less for men who have been raped in prison.
Incarcerated settings, such as jail and prison, are likely the setting for the largest number of male rapes, with some studies suggesting that 7 to 12% of male inmates had been raped with victims experiencing an average of nine assaults while in prison.
There are a number of studies that have found male rape in prison is under-reported much more than male rape amongst the general public. Male rapes that occur in prison are rarely investigated or prosecuted. When a complaint is made in prison, the only action taken is to move the victim to another prison.
Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform found a range of failings within prisons. Prisoners said that rape and sex happened out of necessity. It is important to highlight that sexual activity does occur inside prison between inmates with consent.
Another context that has received very little attention is rape and sexual assault within the military. Sexual violence against the enemy during wartime (and civilians in the occupied areas) has been recorded throughout history and has occurred during most historical and modern armed conflicts, and is used to emotionally defeat and punish the victims.
Personal stories of male rape mirror female rape in terms of a sense of shame, humiliation, and self-blame, but males are even less likely than females to report an assault.
Training in this specific area is needed for all professionals such as medical personnel, psychiatry, prison staff, medical staff, military personnel and so on. The research on sexual assault of women may not be appropriate for men who have been sexually assaulted. Applying research findings from female victims to male victims may lead to damaging behaviours that are harmful to male rape survivors.
A common theme emerging in treating male rape victims is a lost sense of manliness. Male victims voice their concern in reconciling their masculine identity with their experience of being raped. One patient reported that he never disclosed it to his wife of 30 years; the sense of stigma from the rape was felt as huge and devastating.
All victims of rape and sexual abuse will have some similarities as well as some differences in how it affects them or how they deal with it. Being raped or assaulted can have various impacts on your mental health and may cause anxiety and depression. You may experience a variety of emotions such as anger, denial, shame, fear or guilt.
Sexual Abuse, Rape and Sexual Exploitation don’t just have an emotional, psychological or mental health impact on us, but can also have a number of physical health impacts. Being raped or assaulted can lead to issues such as eating disorders, self-harm or substance misuse.
There are several things you can do if you have ever been in this position. You could confide in a friend, family member or loved one if you feel comfortable. You could do searches on the internet for support and advice. If you don’t want your search to be remembered on a computer or phone, most have a privacy setting you can change or log in with.
There is help and guidance out there for anyone who needs it. Here are a few links you can read through:
https://www.survivorsmanchester.org.uk/understanding-abuse/emotional-issues/#
https://rapecrisis.org.uk/get-help/looking-for-information/support-for-men-and-boys/
https://www.safeline.org.uk/what-we-do/men/
https://www.survivorsuk.org/
https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/
http://www.male-rape.org.uk/
