The prevalence and characteristics of male sexual assault

Abstract

Abstract Until recently there was little acknowledgement that men could suffer sexual molestation. Although sexual assault was recognized as a problem in prisons (Sagarin 1976; Anderson 1982) and other all male institutions (Goyer and Eddleman 1984), sexual assault of men in the community was thought to be an unusual event. Statistics on male sexual molestation were rare and encouraged the belief that the phenomenon itself was rare. This was due in part to a narrow legal definition of rape in English law and in the legal systems of many states in the USA. In English law the term ‘rape’ was restricted to forced penile penetration of the vagina and thus could not apply to sexual assaults against men. In 1994 the offence of rape was extended to include anal or vaginal penetration by a penis. This change in the law arose because of increasing recognition that sexual attacks on men were more common than previously believed. Recorded annual statistics show that large numbers of men are victims of sexual crime. In 1996 there were 3142 indecent assaults and 227 rapes of men (HMSO 1996). The figure for rape represents an increase of 51 per cent from 1995 (HMSO 1996). Very few sexual crimes, however, are reported to the police (Mayhew et al. 1989) and research is required to assess more accurately their prevalence and effects on victims.