Shambhavi
Core Content curator- The Lantern Tribe

A large proportion of rape or sexual assault victims are males. However, rape is generally considered as a crime against females and hence men who are raped usually try to hide and deny their victimization. They fear that if the word spreads, then people will doubt their sexual orientation and their masculinity.

The societies continue to be highly male dominated with a strong masculine custom. Male rape is still considered as a taboo carrying negative connotations. As a result, most of the men who experience rape, do not report sexual assault. There is the general belief that men cannot be raped because of the way the society has been organized and socialized. It is believed that men are capable of not just protecting themselves but also others and hence if a man gets raped it is considered as shameful and unmanly. Such men are seen as weak, powerless, helpless and vulnerable to strong perpetrators.

A male being sexually harassed is in sharp contrast with conventional norms of society where men are taught to be strong since childhood and are expected to take pleasure in sexual activities. In a patriarchal society, it is humiliating for a male to be raped and hence they prefer to remain silent than sharing their agony with others because they know that the result would only be more humiliation and disrespect.

Moreover, it is believed that men are less traumatized by sexual abuse as compared to women and hence, are able to cope with such experiences better. But the reality is that men may find it even more difficult to share their feelings and therefore, might face long term effects like depression and hostility because of the social stigma and the disbelief in their victimization. Male victims are more likely to withdraw from social interactions because they face multiple difficulties in coping and also have strong self- blaming tendencies that don’t allow them to go easy on themselves.

Male victims also have the fear of being left out and made a social outcast if the society gets to know that they were sexually harassed. They don’t want to be seen as a socially inappropriate person who defies the expectations of society. The societal pressure on men to act like a protector inhibits them from telling others that they were raped fearing that it might be taken as a sign of their unmanliness and cowardice when in reality the fault is not theirs.

In India, like in several other countries the law doesn’t recognize male rape either. The law reiterates the societal belief that men cannot be raped, that rape is a crime exclusively against the person of women and those who do not fit this categorization do not belong anywhere. As per section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, rape is something that only a man can do to a woman. It doesn’t recognize male victims or female perpetrators. Hence, its not just the social stigma but also the lack of legal recourse that prevents male victims and people from talking about male rapes.

The serious lack of awareness is also reflected in the absence of any counselling facilities for male victims of rape. It seems as if something like male rape doesn’t exist for a majority of the society. The male victims cannot openly talk about their sufferings with people due to the fear of humiliation but there is also an absence of proper counsellors with whom they can share their feelings and thoughts so that they are able to cope better and in a healthier manner.

People and society don’t talk about male rapes because majority of them don’t even know that such a thing exists. They are highly ignorant of the sufferings and struggles that men go through if they become victims of sexual assault. The social stigma and prejudice associated with male rapes prevents any open and inclusive discussion on the topic in public. As a result, the taboo surrounding the phenomenon continues to get entrenched day after day making it even more difficult for male victims to seek help.

BY: SHAMBHAVI SRIVASTAVA