SV against Men

Citation:

Sivakumaran, Sandesh. 2007. "Sexual Violence Against Men in Armed Conflict." European Journal of International Law 18 (2): 253-76.

Author: Sandesh Sivakumaran

Abstract:

Reports of sexual violence by men against men emerge from numerous conflicts, ranging in time from Ancient Persia and the Crusades to the conflicts in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite these accounts, relatively little material exists on the subject and the issue tends to be relegated to a footnote. This article ascertains the extent to which male sexual violence is committed in armed conflict. It considers factors that explain under-reporting by victims and lack of detection on the part of others. The particular forms of male sexual violence are also examined: namely rape, enforced sterilization and other forms of sexual violence, including enforced nudity, enforced masturbation and genital violence. The dynamics present in these offences are explored, with issues of power and dominance, expressed through emasculation, considered. Thus, attention is paid to ideas of feminization, homosexualization and the prevention of procreation. The symbolic construction of male and female bodies in armed conflict is also explored.

Keywords: conflict, military sexual assault, war rape

Topics: Gender, Men, Masculinity/ies, Health, Reproductive Health, Sexual Violence, Male Perpetrators, Rape, SV against Men, Sexuality Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Year: 2007

Citation:

Stretch, Robert H., Kathryn H. Knudson, and Doris Durand. 1998. "Effects of Premilitary and Military Trauma on the Development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Female and Male Active Duty Soldiers." Military Medicine 163 (7): 466-470.

Authors: Robert H. Stretch, Kathryn H. Knudson, Doris Durand

Abstract:

Surveyed 573 female and 555 male active duty US Army soldiers (average age 25.9 yrs) to assess the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, whether there were gender differences, and the relation between prevalence of exposure to different types of traumatic events (death/injury, sexual, nonsexual, personal injury) and symptoms. Questionnaire results indicated significant gender differences in types of traumatic events experienced, with females reporting more sexual traumas and males reporting more nonsexual traumas. Males reported experi- encing more military-related traumas, whereas females reported more premilitary traumas. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was 8.6% for females and 5% for males. Females reported greater psychological distress in response to trauma than males. 

Keywords: female soldiers, male soldiers, trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, mental health

Topics: Combatants, Female Combatants, Male Combatants, Gender, Women, Men, Health, Mental Health, PTSD, Trauma, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militaries, Sexual Violence, SV against Men, SV against Women Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 1998

Citation:

Magley, Vicki J., Craig R. Waldo, Fritz Drasgow, and Louise F. Fitzgerald. 1999. "The Impact of Sexual Harassment on Military Personnel: Is it the Same for Men and Women?" Military Psychology 11 (3): 283-302.

Authors: Vicki J. Magley, Craig R. Waldo, Fritz Drasgow, Louise F. Fitzgerald

Abstract:

Research in the civilian workplace has documented the serious psychological, health-related, and job-related outcomes of sexual harassment of women by men. The question of whether men experience sexual harassment similarly has more recently been proposed (Berdahl, Magley, & Waldo, 1996; Popovich, Campbell, Everton, Mangan, & Godinho, 1994; Vaux, 1993; Waldo, Berdahl, & Fitzgerald, 1998; Waldo & Magley, 1996), resulting in considerable debate regarding not only the extent of the outcomes of such experiences but also the sex of the offender. This study directly compared outcomes of sexual harassment for men and women utilizing data from the U.S. Department of Defense's (1995) recent gender issues survey. The results of both linear and quadratic regression analyses indicate that within the range of similar experiences, sexual harassment exerts a negative effect on male and female personnel in similar ways on 3 sets of outcomes: psychological, health, and job-related. Three differences emerged, however, suggesting differential experiences of sexual harassment for men and women. First, women were more likely to have been sexually harassed than were men. Second, women experienced sexual harassment at higher frequencies than did men; the negative impact on women, both individually and as a group, is thus considerably more pronounced. Finally, women almost always experienced sexual harassment from men; men were somewhat more likely to experience such behaviors from men than from women.

Keywords: military sexual assault, female soldiers, male soldiers, mental health

Topics: Combatants, Female Combatants, Male Combatants, Gender, Women, Men, Health, Mental Health, Sexual Violence, SV against Men, SV against Women Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 1999

Citation:

Hankin, Cheryl S., Katherine Skinner, Lisa M. Sullivan, Donald R. Miller, Susan Frayne, and Tara J. Tripp. 1999. "Prevalence of Depressive and Alcohol Abuse Symptoms among Women VA Outpatients Who Report Experiencing Sexual Assault While in the Military." Journal of Traumatic Stress 12 (4): 601-612.

Authors: Cheryl S. Hankin, Katherine Skinner, Lisa M. Sullivan, Donald R. Miller, Susan Frayne, Tara J. Tripp

Abstract:

Among a national sample of 3,632 women VA outpatients, we determined self-reported prevalence of sexual assault experienced during military service and compared screening prevalence for current symptoms of depression and alcohol abuse between those who did and did not report this history. Data were obtained by mailed questionnaire. Military-related sexual assault was reported by 23%. Screening prevalence for symptoms of current depression was 3 times higher and for current alcohol abuse was 2 times higher among those who reported experiencing military-related sexual assault. Recent mental health treatment was reported by 50% of those who reported experiencing sexual assault during military service and screened positive for symptoms of depression, and by 40% of those who screened positive for symptoms of alcohol abuse.

Keywords: depression, substance abuse, female veterans, military sexual assault

Topics: Combatants, Female Combatants, Gender, Women, Health, Mental Health, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Sexual Violence, SV against Men Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 1999

Citation:

Belkin, Aaron. 2008. "Spam Filter: Gay Rights & the Normalization of Male-Male Rape in the US Military." Radical History Review, no. 100, 180-85.

Author: Aaron Belkin

Keywords: military, rape, masculinity

Annotation:

• Belkin discusses the meaning of militarization, and how it is essential both for American citizens and international allies to view the army as a force for good that also represents an idealized form of masculinity. In order to maintain this image, the U.S. military covers up and naturalizes such occurrences as male-male rape in the armed forces. One of the ways in which this naturalization takes place is through connecting stigmatized outsiders such as homosexuals with these instances of rape, and portraying these outsiders as the perpetrators when in reality they are usually the victims. Belkin offers a critique of LGBT activists’ strategy of staying silent in reaction to the problem of male-male rape in the U.S. military.

Topics: Combatants, Male Combatants, Gender, Men, Masculinity/ies, LGBTQ, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militaries, Militarization, Rights, Human Rights, Sexual Violence, Male Perpetrators, Rape, SV against Men, Sexuality Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 2008