Unspoken victims: A national study of male rape incidents and police investigations in South Africa

Abstract

Background. The burden of sexual violence has been well described in children of both sexes and in women, but there is minimal literature on adult male rape victims. Studies of adult male rape victims have mainly been conducted among incarcerated males or military personnel, and in high-income countries. Objectives. To describe the epidemiology, occurrence and reporting of rape cases involving male victims, both child (<18 years old) and adult, in South Africa (SA). Methods. The study consisted of a nationally representative sample of case dockets maintained by the SA Police Service of rape incidents reported in 2012. A retrospective review of the dockets provided sociodemographic information on the victim and suspect, the circumstances of the rape and the medicolegal services provided to the victim. Data on male victims were analysed using Stata 13 to test for significant differences between child and adult male victims. Results. The study comprised 209 male victims, including 120 (57.4%) children and 89 (42.6%) adults. The findings showed that there were significant differences in the occurrence and reporting of rape of male victims by age. Adult males experienced more violent rapes, perpetrators were more likely to be armed and often humiliated the victim, and rapes were more likely to occur in institutional settings. Adult males reported incidents of rape earlier and therefore had visible non-genital injuries during the medical examination. In contrast, more child rapes involved known perpetrators, occurred in a home and perpetrators were more likely to act kindly to the victim after the incident. This parallels the patterns in rape circumstances seen in female adult and child victims. Conclusions. While there is political commitment to understanding sexual violence against women as a societal problem, work on such violence against men lags behind and is little understood. Rape of males needs to be acknowledged, and their vulnerabilities to sexual abuse and rape need to be addressed. Prevention efforts to end violence against women and girls, especially in relation to children, can be used to address violence against men and boys.

Trends in sexual violence patterns and case management: a sex disaggregated analysis in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Another study relevant to the current work was a nationally representative sample of sexual assaults perpetrated against men and boys in South Africa and reported to the police in 2012. Similar to the current analysis, in the South African study most of the 209 sexual assaults were perpetrated by someone known to the survivor (57.5%) [ 41 ]. However, in contrast to the current work where 31.2% of male survivors were minors under the age of 18, in South Africa 57.4% of the assaults were children.…”

“…However, in contrast to the current work where 31.2% of male survivors were minors under the age of 18, in South Africa 57.4% of the assaults were children. From Jina, et al, it is also interesting that adult survivors were more likely to report the assault immediately, in contrast to minors who were more likely to report > 72 h after the assault (41.2% v. 8.6%) [ 41 ]. Finally, adult males in the South African study experienced more violent rapes that were more likely to involve the use of physical force.…”

Drug‐facilitated sexual assault in Africa: A scoping review of empirical evidence

“…The experience of secondary victimization in the form of victim blame and other adverse reactions is more intense for male rape victims, mostly due to (culturally) normative concerns [23]. More attention, although deserving, over the years has focused on female rape [24][25][26], with men as the major predators-when the "predator" is preyed on, it is a "complicated" event not easily conceivable by many [27]. To find some reporting to the clinic in South Africa is highly commendable and a recommended best practice to access appropriate care.…”

Association Between Intimate Partner Violence and Suicidal Ideation Among Female and Male Adults in South Korea: A Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study

“…Moreover, in men, dominant masculine norms aggravate self-stigma and make it difficult to seek help (Vogel et al, 2011). When men who are assaulted seek help, they may not receive the help they need (Jina et al, 2020) because there has been a lack of domestic violence support services for men (Bates, 2020; Brooks et al, 2020). Also, men may be suspected of being liars or even perpetrators of IPV when seeking help after experiencing violence (Dutton & White, 2013).…”