Male Sexual Assault Is Rape Essay

The stereotype of who a typical sexual assault victim is, is also detrimental to abide by as male victims of sexual assault will often fear being blamed and feel emasculated as a result of their victimisation. The continuation of stereotypic types of victims when considering a certain crime can often distort the seriousness of sexual

After being sexually assaulted people will handle it all different ways. It can change their mental health or even the way they carry themselves physically. “Having a history of sexual assault is related to perceiving ones health as poor or fair, rather than good or excellent (see Golding, Cooper, & George, 1997). In one study involving seven general population surveys (i.e., surveys in which people were randomly selected to represent those living in a particular region or in the entire country), the odds of

From the perspective presented in this article, I was able to understand that sexual assault and disability of individuals are complexly intertwined wherein there is a general perception that the weak will be taken over by the strong (Engber, 2015). However it is essential to underline that this may not be the case at all times.

This part of the dissertation will cover the similarities and differences between men and women as victims of domestic violence. The first topic that will be discussed is reporting. It can be difficult to understand or grasp the concept that men can be abused by women and nearly near the rate that women are assaulted and abused by men. In the white paper (Home Office, 2003) domestic violence was mainly described in terms of violence against women, males were largely ignored despite being acknowledged. In the white paper (Home Office 2016) things appeared to be different as male victims were acknowledged which suggests that it is becoming widely known that there is violence against men and it is being viewed as an issue. The Northern Rock Foundation concluded from their research that some males did not report partner abuse because they considered the occurrence too trivial and not worth reporting. Their research also looked into the large differences between the experiences of males and females; it was found that females were the main group to ask for help and also communicate with services. DOJ figures indicated that males are 11 percent less likely than women to report any type of violent crime that they were victims in. Ivankovich suggests that there are a number of explanations why male victims are unwilling to report. Men suffer abuse in silence because they fear that they will not be believed and people may jump to worse conclusions such as he is the perpetrator. Males

A form of sexual abuse that is not talked or reported as much is, sexual assault of men and boys. “2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape” (Rainn). Men survivors are less likely to report an assault or rape to the police. The way society visions males, it makes it harder for men to report because they are embarrassed or scared that it happen to them. All victims, regardless the gender, undoubtedly suffer as the result of sexual assault. It is simply not true that women suffer more than men, or rather that men suffer more than women. When young boys are raised, they are taught to be “brave”, “strong” and “tough.” Therefore, it is extremely understandable that a man or boy experiences emotions, such as, loneliness, vulnerability, inadequate, ashamed, etc. “Male victims are extremely hesitant to report such crimes due to the risk of mockery, disbelief, and disdain both from the community and law enforcement who may perceive them as ‘un-masculine’” (Fuchs 98). Being victimized does not mean you lose all your masculinity or physical strength. Certainly, sexual assault or rape is not only an exhibition of physical strength, it is also considered an abusive form of psychological control. This happens so frequently that victims often blame themselves for their attacks. In

Male rape victims are less likely to report their crime for various reasons. According to Nicholas Groth and Ann Burgess (1980), male rape myths stems from the traditional viewpoint of masculinity that most men are supposed to be strong, dominant and heterosexual. Thus, leading victims to believe that men cannot be raped and the effect of sexual assault should be miniscule for a man than it is for a woman (Carpenter, 2009; Groth and Burgess, 1980: p. 808). In accordance to Gillian Mezey and Michael King (1989), male rape victims that do report their crime are treated differently by the police and they find themselves being completely ignored, questioned as criminals, or being ridiculed. Many males who do

In the military, most female victims are sexually assaulted by male offenders; however male victims are sexually assaulted by roughly equal percentages of male and female offenders. Physical injuries and sexually transmitted infections can sometimes occur. While some sexual assaults can result in very serious injury, many involve minor or nonvisible injuries to victims. Psychological injuries may occur immediately following the assault or weeks. Psychological injuries may not resolve without treatment—victims can’t just “get over it.” Fear, irritability, confusion, and sleep disruption, may often occur during or immediately following the assault. In about one third of cases, victims may experience post-traumatic anxiety symptoms that interfere with their work, social or home life. Some victims may also experience serious depression or problems with alcohol and substances as they try to reduce the intensity of the problem the symptom. Also suicide can take place from emotion

Sexual assault against men has been viewed or ignored as not being a large problem or issue. As a man, it may seem that they can fight off attackers, may not be affected by such thing, and as far as saying they enjoy such “pleasure”. But in today's world, these stereotypes can lead up to sexual difficulties, such feelings as anger and feeling shameful to a point where someone can lose their self esteem feeling weak and embarrassed.

For males, it is explained that they are always “in the mood” and therefore, cannot be sexually assaulted (Ben-David, Schneider, 2005). Another popular topic is victim perception. This is the understanding that only certain types of people are sexually assaulted, additionally the victims must have been asking for it in regards to what they were wearing or their profession such as prostitution. Lastly, another example of victim blame is through fabrication, which is the thought that the victim must have lied and over reacted “as women do” (Burt, 1980; Davies, 2012). Through recent advancements in the feminist movement and recent topics of gender equality, it would be assumed that the public believes less in rape victims today than they were in recent studies. Research from 2010 however, has found that women are more likely to be evaluated as genuine rape victims under certain conditions: they attempted to fight back (and have the battle wounds to prove it), they did not have a past history with the accused, and they are a respectable, meaning they are well liked, are an outstanding student and so on (Schuller 2010). People tend to evaluate female victims as more blameworthy if their attitudes violate the specific traditional gender

Types of research in Prevalence and consequences of adult sexual assault of men: Review of empirical findings and state of the literature, consisted of systematic research of empirical studies on men at ASA published in the last 25 years. The research consisted of 204 potentially relevant articles on this topic. These articles were limited by empirical articles consisting of men addressed at ASA in North America and Europe. When researching sexually abused male victims whether to use behaviorally oriented questions vs. allowing participants making their own interpretations.

Approximately 20% of American women have been sexually assaulted (Koss, 1993). Of these women, one quarter require medical attention for their injuries (Horton, 1992), which most often include vaginal tearing and bruising, head injuries and other trauma to the mouth, throat, breasts and thighs (Banks, Ackerman, & Corbett, 1995; Marchbanks, Lui, and Mercy, 1990). Long-term consequences include pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, dyspareunia, increased incidence of psychiatric disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder, and a three-fold increase in suicide attempts (Fanslow & Robinson, 2004). Immediate medical costs are estimated at $516 per victim; however, health care utilization increases by 56% annually, and this increase persists for at least three years

(Doherty et al. 87) It is believed that a man is not a “real man” if he cannot defend himself against a woman, and that a man should initially have been “too strong to overpower”. (Mitchell et al. 369) On that same point, men are also expected to be stronger mentally. Meaning that men have the expectancy to cope with sexual assault easier women because they are “emotionally tougher”. (Davies et al. 277) “It is difficult to imagine even a dominant woman coercing an unwilling man into a sexual situation or to imagine a man being unwilling if the opportunity for sex occurred”. (Smith et al. 102) Another claim is that men are sexual initiators, and that they are more sexually assertive than women. By believing that men are only interested in sex it initiates the belief that all male victims enjoyed their assault. One of the major claims against male victims is on the matter of arousal. This topic raises doubts, hesitation, and generally uncertainty that leads most victims to refrain from reporting their assault. (¨Male Victims of Rape and Sexual Abuse¨ 381) Society believes that a man cannot be aroused when he is in position of fear, anxiety, and confusion. This often prompts people, who generally do not believe the victim, to form the question of whether the victim “wanted

Sexual violence can be categorized into different forms such as non-consensual intercourse, coercion, trafficking for sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation. During recent studies, the vast majority of sexual assault victims were female and males are considered to be the most perpetrators; however, sexual assault still happens to many men (2 Sexual violence: prevalence, dynamics and consequences, n.d.). These inappropriate actions can lead to long term or short-term physical and psychological effects on the human body. Furthermore, it is generally acknowledged that sexual assault against females is universal around the world and it is very limited on the prevalence on the inappropriate actions. For example, a survey was conducted

Article #1 focused on how common the battering of men who had sex with other men (MSM) was and it’s characteristics. Furthermore, it identified and studied three types of battering, “Psychological/Symbolic Battering which was defined as having experienced at least 1 of the following: being verbally threatened, demeaned in front of others, ridiculed for his appearance, forced to get high or drunk, or stalked; or having property destroyed or damaged, Physical Battering which was defined as being hit with fists or an open hand, hit with an object, pushed or shoved, or kicked; or having something thrown at him, and Sexual Battering which was defined as having been forced to have sex” (Paragraph 8).

This is why male rape is one of the most under -- reported acts of violence.