Male Rape Victims Essay

Male victims are often unrecognized by the media, because they do not fit the stereotype that is set. Again, it’s been drilled into our heads that men are the perpetrators and women are the victims. Men are supposed to be strong, while women are weak, making them the easier target. How could a male be a victim of abuse? According to the media, there is no way men can be victims alongside women.

In America, rape has been around since the 1800’s. Rape culture in the U.S. started with white men raping black women during slavery and unfortunately it was allowed. When black women were raped, they wouldn’t consider it a crime because it was the norm. According to the article, “History of the Rape Crisis Movement” written by Gillian Greensite, “White men would get in groups and rape black women.” African American women had no rights and therefore no voice to protest these action until 1866, when a group of African American women finally spoke out about being raped during a memphis riot by a gang of white men. (Sniffen)

Rape defined is forcing sexual intercourse upon someone without his or her consent. This isn’t just a girls’ problem, boys have to deal with this too. According to the American Psychological Association, nearly one in ten girls and one in twenty boys say they have been raped or experienced some form of sexual assault (Atlanta Journal, 1). Almost more than half of rape victims know their attacker; they don’t report it or tell anybody. In most date rape cases, the attacker and victim have known each other for at least a year or even longer. Only about 10 percent of rapes are reported, less than that go to court. According to data taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, one forcible rape is reported to the police every six minutes, on

Women tend to be the overwhelming victims of sexual assault and rape while men tend to be the perpetrators. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), one in five women and one in seventy-one men will be raped at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of victims are women who have been victimized by men. There are two major forms of sexual assault, which includes non-consensual forced physical sexual behavior such as rape or sexual assault. The second type of assault is the Psychological form of abuse, such as sexual harassment, stalking, human trafficking, and indecent exposure and the targets of exhibitionism, especially children.

It is clear by just a few examples that rape has more misconceptions than it should. If people would be more open to discussing this touchy topic, more could be done to prevent

The impact of sexual assault and rape is devastating to our community and culture. This terrible crime has been around for longer than records have been kept. Throughout world history, the primary targets of these crimes have been women but not exclusively limited to women. Sexual related crimes are crimes of power rather than crimes of passion or lust. These are crimes of ignorance that continue because it is tolerated by both man and society.

Sherry Hamby, editor of the journal of Psychology of Violence says that “she receives 20 papers on victims for every one on perpetrators.” American society tends to not want to bring glory to criminals. One example that pops in to mind was the immediate backlash after the Rolling Stone released an issue with the Boston Marathon bomber on the cover back in 2013. Society tends to shift attention from perpetrators to victims when a traumatic event arises. Thus, it makes sense that scholars focus on victims of sexual assault rather than the perpetrators. Additionally, it is likely easier to find someone willing to admit to being a victim rather than the assailant, as the assailant is likely to fear legal repressions for the crime.

As many of us currently know, at the moment there is a movement in place, dealing with dozens of allegations of sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein. Actor Milano tweeted to survivors of sexual harassment to use the hashtag #MeToo. This campaign created a huge amount of responses across social media, empowering many women in particular. On the other hand, not many male victims have received such support. They have been shut down, and were told that their timing and message we

Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety (Rape

Men do not want to be seen as weak, or feminine; two stigmas commonly used to characterize rape victims. Women are seen as weak and subordinate, to be overpowered by a woman and forced to do something contradicts social norms. In America, women can be convicted of rape, but in the United Kingdom, rape is defined by the involvement of penetration (Silent Suffering 4). In some places of the world, when a man is assaulted by a woman it is not even considered a crime. These victims have to face a more serve backlash. Robbie Woodsum, a student at George Mason University, explained how men are less comfortable reporting their assaults because of the emphasis on the crime being only against females (The Hunting

A major perpetuating factor in misinformation regarding sexual assault and rape culture is the media. Confusion about what constitutes rape leads many students to question whether or not they were a "real victim". Rape isn't always a violent crime committed by a stranger down some dark alley. It can

Rape also known as sexual assault is having sexual intercourse or any form of sexual penetration against a person’s will or consent. It could be carried out by coercion, the use of physical power or abuse of authority. It is an act many societies, if not all discourage, and attracts different form of punishment in different geographical locations. There are many consequences of rape; some people suffer from depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Suicidal tendencies, and Anxiety Disorder. It was not a surprise when the Mr. Cosby’s alleged case of rapes were waved and flooded to the entire media channels in the USA and other countries. Majority of people can recall number of such cases where some prominent African – Americans were sued

p. 69).” rape is violence against women. It is a violation of her body and her trust. According to Burns, a sociologist at Michigan State University, “rape is forced and unwanted intercourse, where sexual assault is used as a power and sex is a method (Mousseau, 2006. p. 1).” Most rapes are committed not by strangers, but by men known to women, perhaps someone they have gone out with or are supposedly their friends. It can be someone she just met or even her fiancé, but often it is an attempt to assert power or anger. A study by the National Center for the Preventive and Control rape claims ninety percent of rapes are never reported. In those that are reported, sixty percent knew their assailants. Of these, women fifteen to twenty-five are majority of the victims. Alcohol and drugs sometimes play a significant factor, especially in date rape or acquaintance rape cases (Mousseau, 2006).

Many victims refuse to report or seek help after a rape because they are scared of what their family, friends, or society will think of them. Often

     Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.