Ignorance Towards Male Rape and the Psychological Toll on Victims

Alyssa Shisko, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences & Honors College Faculty Mentor: Mark Vosvick, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

Male Rape Statistics A total of 2.78 million men experience rape at one point in their life 1 in every 10 rape victims are male 22% of male inmates are raped, about 420,000 prisoners a year 71% of male victims were raped before their 18th birthday

Male Rape Basics First legally recognized in 1994 A struggle for power and aggression, not sexual pleasure Most cases are by heterosexual men to homosexual men/boys

Male rape has yet to become more public, however, some policing agencies are working on correcting their proceedings for male victims who report being assaulted (Rumney, 2008).

Reporting male rape is so taboo that victims do not report it for fear of the consequences. Victims suffer in silence and in isolation. After living through such a traumatic event, survivors need social and emotional support from the first responders to whom they report the crime; too often, victims are ridiculed or ignored. I propose that a training program be developed for police on how to deal with male victims of rape so that the victims feel more comfortable reporting the crime. I plan to interview police officers who work with these victims, as well as victims themselves in order to identify the dimensions of the problem that need to be addressed in the proposed training program.

Blaze, A. (2010). Web ads against prison rape. The Bilerico Project: Daily Experiments in LGBTQ. Retrieved from http://www.bilerico.com/2010/01/web_ads_against_prison_rape.php

Cole, J. (2007). A rape at Duke. The Times Tribune. Retrieved from http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/JohnColeCartoons

King, Michael B., & Mezey, Gillian C. (2000). Surviving sexual assault and sexual torture. Male Victims of Sexual Assault (pp. 97-111). New York: Oxford University Press.

Prison rape is such a hoot. (2008). Retrieved March 17, 2010, from http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/010977.html

Rumney, P. (2008). Policing Male Rape and Sexual Assault. Journal of Criminal Law, 72(1), 67-86. doi:10.1350/jcla.2008.72.1.478.

Scarce, M. (1997). The spectacle of male rape. Male on Male Rape: The Hidden Toll of Stigma and Shame. New York: Plenum Press.

Wake up to what. (2009). Retrieved March 17, 2010 from http://chrisworth.com/2009/11/wake-up-to-what.html

Wendy K. Wilkins, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Gloria C. Cox, Ph.D., Dean, Honors College

Susan Brown Eve, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Honors College

Mark Vosvick, Ph.D, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences

In today’s society, silencing male rape has become more socially accepted than the actual assault; it has become more prevalent and yet, undeniably less reported. All rape is gruesome and inconceivable, but the reporting process should not be another assault on these victims; it should be the beginning of a long healing process. If at least one victim reported their crime unharmed, then it could give others the courage to do the same. Victims should not have to suffer in silence; they need support and strength to comprehend what they have experienced. Men need to be publicly informed that they do not have to suffer alone and others out there can help them cope; how many men need to suffer before change comes?

BACKGROUND

ABSTRACT

RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Wake up to what. (2009). Retrieved March 17, 2010 from http://chrisworth.com/2009/11/wake-up-to-what.html

Blaze, A. (2010). Web ads against prison rape. The Bilerico Project: Daily Experiments in LGBTQ. Retrieved from http://www.bilerico.com/2010/01/web_ads_against_prison_rape.php

Cole, J. (2007). A rape at Duke. The Times Tribune. Retrieved from http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/JohnColeCartoons

Prison rape is such a hoot. (2008). Retrieved March 17, 2010, from http://www.damianpenny.com/archived/010977.html

METHODOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS WHY NOT REPORTED? IN THE PUBLIC

•Denial/Guilt

•Shame/Humiliation

•Fear

•Loss of Self-Respect

•Flashbacks of Attack

•Anger/Anxiety

•Retaliation Fantasies

•Nervous/Compulsive Behavior

•Depression

•Withdrawal from Relationships

•Changes in Sexual Activity

69% reporting rate for men [75% for women]

1)Not knowing it’s a crime

2)Fear of not being believed

3) Sexuality may come into question

4) Want to forget about assault

5) Ashamed or see no point in reporting

“Why didn’t you run? He wouldn’t have shot you; it’s hard to hit a moving target.” (Rumney, 2008)

FILM

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) – First male rape in a movie

Deliverance (1972) – Most memorable male rape scene

Where’s Poppa? (1970) – First movie to use male rape for comedy

Pulp Fiction (1994) – “Guys should not get all whimpery and pansy like. You get raped, smile and move on, guy.”

TELEVISION

The Oprah Winfrey Show (1995) Greg Louganis: First adult male to publicly discuss his experience as a rape victim

Geraldo – Male rape survivors were banned from telling their experiences because it was inappropriate for TV