Synopsis
Sexual harassment can happen to anyone, of any gender , any age or any sex. Although women have a higher threat of sexual assault or abuse . According to estimates , every 68 seconds another American is sexually assaulted and 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted rape in her lifetime.
In India, nearly 1 in 3 Indian women aged 18-49 have suffered some form of spousal abuse and approximately around 6% have suffered sexual violence. However, even Men are subjected to sexual abuse, they may face some further challenges because of social attitudes and stereotypes about men and masculinity as men are often considered to be superior sex with high physical strength in comparison to women, who are considered to a weaker sex. Moreover, it is observed that most of the time male victims try to hide or deny their victimisation as it undermines their physical strength.
Myths About Men’s Assault
There are several myths about men being assaulted or harassed. It is believed that men are always willing to be engaged in a sexual activity but in reality, any accord to sexual activity must be explicitly given by a man the same as a woman.
It is believed that men are only sexually assaulted by other men but actually, sexual assault or abuse may include any unfavourable sensual contact and not just penetration signifying that even a man can be sexually assaulted by a women.
It is often perceived that gay men are more likely to assault or abuse other men and all men who sexually assault other men are gay. However Sexual assault or abuse is about getting control over someone, not desire or sexual attraction. Heterosexual(a person who is sexually attracted solely to people of the other sex) men can and sexually assault other men. There is also a misconception that “Real” men are always able to resist sexual assault but identical to women, even men can freeze during sexual assault or abuse.
Victimization Of Men
Male victimisation is a prevalent public health problem. It is highly observed that harassment at the workplace is done by male colleagues or by female bosses. At times the female bosses asked the male colleagues to lift their shirts and show their muscles as well as shout at them and humiliate them in front of co-workers. This pushes the male colleagues to become the victims of sexual assault and harassment.
In accordance to estimates in the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). Over U.S. states, it is observed that about a quarter of men reported some form of intercourse sexual violence in their lifetime. Roughly 1 in 10 men in the U.S. have experienced sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by a partner during their lifetime.
Men and boys can be victims of sexual violence(SV), stalking, and intimate partner violence (IPV). These can happen in childhood, adolescent years, or in adulthood.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) – It is a form of abuse or aggression that occurs in a romantic relationship. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and control of sexual health by an intimate partner.
Sexual Violence (SV) – It is a sexual harassment without physical contact but without penetration and when consent is not obtained freely.
Contact Sexual Violence – Includes penetration of the victim or unwanted sexual contact.It can include touching, kissing and oral sex.
Stalking – It occurs when someone repeatedly threatens someone else, causing fear or safety concerns. It including sending emails insistent
calling or text messaging etc.
In accordance to a data of survey it had been found that men experience a high generality of intimate partner violence, sexual violence and stalking. Most first-time victimizations occur before the age 25, mostly many victims first undergo violence before age 18.
Additionally, around 1 in 3 men have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifespan.
Nearly 56% of men who were victims of contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner first experienced these or other forms of violence by that partner before age 25. Around 53 million men have have through psychological aggressiveness by an intimate partner in their lifetime
Additionally, about 1 in 4 men in the U.S. experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifespan.
And around More than 1 in 38 men in the U.S. experienced rape victimization in their span
Around 1 in 17 men in the U.S. were victims of stalking at some point in their lifespan.
In India, the rape of males or males assault is commonly not reported. According to the PEW research statistics 2014, 13% of men between the ages of 18 to 24 have experienced sexual harassment. One cannot ignore the statistics of harassment with men. Also in accordance to section 375 of the Indian Penal Act, rape is considered to be a gendered crime( a crime that is always done by men. Its also assumed that its next to impossible for women to rape a man as it is easier for a person to forcibly penetrate a victim that a victim to face forced penetration.