When we hear “sexual assault,” we often think of women as the victims and males as the perpetrators. But what of the male counterpart? Are there really male rape victims and survivors? The answer to this question is a resounding yes. According to RAINN, “About 3% of American men - or 1 in 33 - have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.”
Well, if male rape does indeed happen, why is it such a taboo subject?
I believe that we can help support male victims of rape by dispelling the stigmas and myths surrounding the issue, opening up more resources for male survivors, and educating people that committing sexual assault on anyone is wrong—no matter what gender.
Male sexual assault is neglected, denied, and even marginalized in our society. This is mostly due to the male stereotype that all men are strong, confident, fearless, and are able to defend and fight for themselves. This makes it difficult for men to seek aid after a sexual assault. But one of the main reasons men find it hard to seek help is due to the many myths and stigmas surrounding male rape. The most common one being, “Men cannot be sexually assaulted or raped.” In reality, any man regardless of size, strength, appearance, age, occupation, race, or sexual identity can …show more content…
Well, there is a copious amount of unhelpful myths about the rape of men, victims suffer mental, physical, and emotional effects of sexual assault and because male rape is viewed as a taboo, it is often denied and ignored. Plus, there isn’t enough support and resource for male victims. All these things give men a harder time to reach out for aid which does not help the fact that the majority of male victims are reluctant to report their sexual assault to the police. Not only that, male survivors have a harder time talking about their sexual assault, and it is a harder to prosecute someone who commits the crime of sexual
Well, if male rape does indeed happen, why is it such a taboo subject?
I believe that we can help support male victims of rape by dispelling the stigmas and myths surrounding the issue, opening up more resources for male survivors, and educating people that committing sexual assault on anyone is wrong—no matter what gender.
Male sexual assault is neglected, denied, and even marginalized in our society. This is mostly due to the male stereotype that all men are strong, confident, fearless, and are able to defend and fight for themselves. This makes it difficult for men to seek aid after a sexual assault. But one of the main reasons men find it hard to seek help is due to the many myths and stigmas surrounding male rape. The most common one being, “Men cannot be sexually assaulted or raped.” In reality, any man regardless of size, strength, appearance, age, occupation, race, or sexual identity can …show more content…
Well, there is a copious amount of unhelpful myths about the rape of men, victims suffer mental, physical, and emotional effects of sexual assault and because male rape is viewed as a taboo, it is often denied and ignored. Plus, there isn’t enough support and resource for male victims. All these things give men a harder time to reach out for aid which does not help the fact that the majority of male victims are reluctant to report their sexual assault to the police. Not only that, male survivors have a harder time talking about their sexual assault, and it is a harder to prosecute someone who commits the crime of sexual