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/
This subject, Male Rape, needs picking up through PSHE lessons at school – secondary, colleges and universities.
More work around ‘healthy’ relationships needs to be done from infants to university because a healthy relationship at the age of 5 is different to that experience of a 10yrs old.
Body image and learning to love self, self-esteem, personal development from the earliest of ages will enable each and everyone of us to be able to develop self awareness and hopefully be more forthcoming when things aren’t ok, to question what is healthy, to keep asking questions, checking in with others.