Saturday, March 17, 2012

Myths About Male Rape Victims

1. You Can't Rape A Man Because If He Has An Erection He Wants It
Wrong. Sexual arousal does not equate an erection, nor does an erection equate sexual arousal.

A woman's body can respond 'sexually' when she is being raped. She can even reach orgasm during the rape. This does not mean she wanted sex. Just because her body was aroused does not mean she was aroused. A man can get an erection without any interest in sex. A man can even ejaculate without wishing to or being sexually inclined. Just because his body was aroused does not mean he was aroused.



2. Men Are More Likely To Rape
Wrong. By the sexist legal definitions as seen in the first post of this thread, it's hard for a man to report a rape if a woman raped him, given that legal systems seem to feel women cannot rape people. However:

* 2.1% of men reported forced vaginal sex compared to 1.6% of women in a relationship in the previous year. From: Predictors of Sexual Coersion. http://pubpages.unh.edu/~mas2/ID45-PR45.pdf

*94% of sexually abused youth in correctional facilities reported being abused by female staff. From: Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities, 2008-09. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svjfry09.pdf

* Among inmates reporting staff sexual misconduct, ~ 65% reported a female aggressor. From: Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2008-09. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/svpjri0809.pdf

* 50% of homeless youth reported being sexually abused by a female. From: It’s Not What You Think: Sexually Exploited Youth in British Columbia. http://www.nursing.ubc.ca/PDFs/ItsNotWhatYouThink.pdf


3. Male Rape Victims Get Just As Much Protection As Women 


The FBI says:
For UCR reporting purposes, can a male be raped?

No. The UCR Program defines forcible rape as “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will” (p. 19). In addition, “By definition, sexual attacks on males are excluded from the rape category and must be classified as assaults or other sex offenses depending on the nature of the crime and the extent of injury” (p. 20). An aggravated assault is a Part I offense and would be reported on the Return A form. (A simple assault is a Part II offense but also would be reported on the Return A form.) Sex offenses qualify as Part II offenses and would be reported on the appropriate Age, Sex, and Race of Persons Arrested form (pp. 96 and 142).

However, in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), a sexual assault on a male by a female could be classified as a forcible rape, depending on the nature of the attack and the extent of the injury. For NIBRS reporting purposes, forcible rape is defined as “The carnal knowledge of a person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity (or because of his/her youth)” (UCR Handbook, NIBRS edition, 1992, p. 21). In the NIBRS, at least one offender must be of a different sex than the victim for the event to be classified as a forcible rape. For example, a female can rape a male, or in the case of multiple offenders, a female and male can rape a male. However, a male cannot rape another male, or in the case of multiple offenders, two males cannot rape a male.

supposedly this information will be changed 'over the next few years' to include “Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

which means that for a man to be raped, he still must be penetrated. so if a woman ties a man down and forced him to penetrate her, it is not considered rape. 


Meanwhile, UK law states: "Women cannot be charged with the offence of rape as this is defined as penile penetration, but she could be charged with another offence such as causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent, sexual coercion or assault, or assault by penetration. These may not all apply in each country." 





Information and sources:
http://www.avoiceformen.com/mission-and-values/about/ 

http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/02/in_a_belated_stroke_of.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+racewireblog+(ColorLines) 
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/advisory-policy-board 
http://www.fpa.org.uk/professionals/factsheets/lawonsex 

3 comments:

  1. Instead of saying "arousal," perhaps you may want to use the term "consent." Being in a state of physical arousal does not equal consent. Other than that, excellent post.

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  2. What a dumb ass post! I have never heard of a grown woman raping a grown man unless she was but ugly and he was drunk. Men and woman are different.

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    Replies
    1. What is that supposed to mean? It sounds very ambiguous.

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