Men as Perpetrators and Victims

Citation:

Peel, Michael, ed. 2004. “Men as Perpetrators and Victims.” In Rape as a Method of Torture, 61–69. London: Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.

Author: Michael Peel

Annotation:

Quotes:

“No society wants to admit to being party to male rape, but this quiescence leaves victims isolated and rape seen as a sexual act rather than one of the exercise of power and the infliction of humiliation.” (61)

“Female soldiers or police officers are very occasionally described as having been present when male detainees were being sexually assaulted, although the extent to which the women were victims or perpetrators is debatable.” (61)

“Sociological studies demonstrate an increase in the incidence of rape in societies where there is social disorganisation, urbanisation, economic inequality, and a sizeable number of men without a regular sexual relationship.” (62)

“Whereas for many women rape is the principal form of torture, for men the rape is generally part of a series of assaults that can leave significant physical signs, so that they might not need to disclose the rape when being interviewed by a doctor in order for a medical report to be produced that will confirm other significant signs of torture.” (65)

“Often the [male] victim appears to be concerned about the gender of the interpreter, but not that of the clinician or therapist, perhaps because their conversation is more directly with the interpreter.”(65)

“Anal penetration by a penis rarely leaves any identifiable physical signs after only a few days.15 In the Medical Foundation study, only one of the 32 men who had been raped had any specific physical signs, and he had been raped many times over several years. When objects are pushed through the anus there is much more likelihood of damage and therefore scarring (although such acts are not, strictly, rape). Of the 25 men who had suffered objects being pushed through their anus, 5 (20%) had significant physical signs.” (66)

“A study done by the Medical Foundation, found that over 70% of men who had been sexually assaulted experienced PTSD symptoms.” (66)

Topics: Gender, Men, Sexual Violence, Male Perpetrators, Rape, SV against Men, Torture, Sexual Torture

Year: 2004