When men and women serve in the military, they are regarded with respect and honour, and they are acknowledged for their sacrifices. What is not acknowledged are the hidden sacrifices. Sexual assault within the military is more common than one might realize. There is a stigma regarding sexual assault, and limiting its victims to only women. Male sexual assault victims are highly overlooked even though approximately 38 men in the United States military are assaulted every day. While men are protecting people and their freedom, what is unknown is that they are fighting their own internal battle. The hypermasculine culture in the military makes it difficult for male sexual assault victims to seek help and cope in society. This is proven with
…show more content…
Unfortunately, this is not the case for men. As reported, some Veterans Affairs facilities do not have counselors for men. Additionally, the questionnaires are designed for women which averts men from filling out these questionnaires. This is because Veterans Affairs is basically stating that the VA does not care about male victims and their experiences, and do not wish to put in any effort to support the men. This makes it difficult for male victims to seek help, or consider the idea, if they are aware that none of the questions would pertain to them and their personal pain. Furthermore, there are multiple accounts that men have been denied care and help from counsellors, and at least twenty three victims have died while waiting for help. This creates a wall saying that men cannot be victims of sexual assault, simply because they are men and a hypermasculine culture does not allow for victimized men. Additionally, for years the FBI has defined rape as “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will”. This terminology negates even the possibility that males could be victims of sexual assault, and clearly shows how the FBI has felt about sexual abuse and victims. A questionnaire can open doors for men to search for the needed support and help to cope from …show more content…
Being thrust back into what people would assume is normal everyday life is extraordinarily hard, when someone is afraid of who and what they may encounter. This fear has cost victims their jobs as well as everyday comfort. One victim has said that he has lost multiple jobs throughout the years, because he couldn’t be in a room alone with a male supervisor. He said that as soon as he was called in to a supervisor’s office, he was done. He has had to sacrifice a lot, in order to feel safe again. Another victim, has had a similar experience with working and could not handle being around men. Sometimes, if someone were to say a sexual joke or if something were to upset him, it would trigger him and he’d yell his attacker’s name. For this victim, not only would people look at him as if he were crazy, but he also had to deal with his attacker’s name in his thoughts. He is unable to obliterate his attacker and the attack, the man who has caused so much pain and suffering. Lastly, this one victim has had to go to extremes in order to cope in this society. He is petrified of being outside within society and having to deal with people. He hates crowds so much and his fear is so strong that he has to go grocery shopping at three in the morning to feel safe and
Unfortunately, this is not the case for men. As reported, some Veterans Affairs facilities do not have counselors for men. Additionally, the questionnaires are designed for women which averts men from filling out these questionnaires. This is because Veterans Affairs is basically stating that the VA does not care about male victims and their experiences, and do not wish to put in any effort to support the men. This makes it difficult for male victims to seek help, or consider the idea, if they are aware that none of the questions would pertain to them and their personal pain. Furthermore, there are multiple accounts that men have been denied care and help from counsellors, and at least twenty three victims have died while waiting for help. This creates a wall saying that men cannot be victims of sexual assault, simply because they are men and a hypermasculine culture does not allow for victimized men. Additionally, for years the FBI has defined rape as “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will”. This terminology negates even the possibility that males could be victims of sexual assault, and clearly shows how the FBI has felt about sexual abuse and victims. A questionnaire can open doors for men to search for the needed support and help to cope from …show more content…
Being thrust back into what people would assume is normal everyday life is extraordinarily hard, when someone is afraid of who and what they may encounter. This fear has cost victims their jobs as well as everyday comfort. One victim has said that he has lost multiple jobs throughout the years, because he couldn’t be in a room alone with a male supervisor. He said that as soon as he was called in to a supervisor’s office, he was done. He has had to sacrifice a lot, in order to feel safe again. Another victim, has had a similar experience with working and could not handle being around men. Sometimes, if someone were to say a sexual joke or if something were to upset him, it would trigger him and he’d yell his attacker’s name. For this victim, not only would people look at him as if he were crazy, but he also had to deal with his attacker’s name in his thoughts. He is unable to obliterate his attacker and the attack, the man who has caused so much pain and suffering. Lastly, this one victim has had to go to extremes in order to cope in this society. He is petrified of being outside within society and having to deal with people. He hates crowds so much and his fear is so strong that he has to go grocery shopping at three in the morning to feel safe and