Men Rape Research Articles

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

AbstractBackgroundSexual assault has been a major social problem worldwide. Drug‐facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a form of sexual assault facilitated by psychoactive substances. DFSA is highly prevalent worldwide, though it is usually underreported. To understand the situation of DFSA in Africa, there is a need to map the available empirical evidence on DFSA in Africa. Hence, this scoping review was conducted to summarize the existing empirical knowledge and gaps in the literature and inform future research on DFSA in Africa.MethodsThis study adopted the design by the Arksey and O'Malley's guideline for scoping reviews. Without year limiters, literatures were retrieved through a systematic search of the 11 electronic databases using appropriate search terms and Boolean operators. The retrieved literatures were deduplicated and screened, using Rayyan, to identify eligible literature for inclusion into the review. Only those articles that met the eligibility criteria were included for data charting, collation, and summarization. Four articles were included in this review.ResultsFour articles were included in this review. The studies reported the characteristics of offenders and the context in which DFSA occurred. In the reviewed studies, rape of men was only reported among South Africans. Sedatives and alcohol are the most reported substances used in such rape. Perceptions of date rape, as documented by sexual assault survivors, suggest the pervasiveness of victim blaming. Typical DFSA cases appear opportunistic in nature, and an acquaintance is often the culprit. However, disaggregating DFSA as a specific sexual assault requires some logistics, including forensic and toxicological investigations.ConclusionDFSA is a significant dimension of gender‐based sexual violence. Infrastructure development should be improved to support systematic toxicological analyses and services to investigate and understand DFSA.

The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America

The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America

The Role of Motive in Sexual Assault Trials

In sexual assault cases, the motive of the complainant has traditionally been heavily scrutinized, based on sexist beliefs that women are likely to bring false complaints of rape based on motives of revenge, fantasy, and shame. Recent sexual assault cases have demonstrated the persistence of these beliefs even after the formal rules that validated them were abolished. At the same time, attempts by the Crown to show an absence of motive to lie have faced a high bar. Consistent with the general rule that motive is not required to prove mens rea, the accused’s motives have mostly escaped scrutiny. However, the recent high-profile case of R. v Barton shows the dangers of allowing the accused to rely on his alleged lack of motive to sexually assault the complainant. This article examines how both evidence of motive and absence of motive have been applied to the complainant and the accused in sexual assault cases. Caution is necessary when considering motive in relation to the complainant because of the direct connection with rape myths. Reliance on an accused’s absence of motive should also be discouraged as the reasons men rape cannot be reduced to a personal vendetta towards any one victim.

Do Environmental Cues to Discovery Influence the Likelihood to Rape?

Research on men's sexual exploitation of women has documented that men's psychology tracks cues associated with the ease of women's exploitability. In the current studies, we examined a different class of cues hypothesized to aid men's use of sexually exploitative strategies: environmental cues to the likelihood of discovery. We defined likelihood of discovery as the perceived probability of identification when engaging in exploitative behavior (e.g., presence of others). We test the hypothesis that men's likelihood to rape increases when their perception of the likelihood of discovery is low in three studies. In Study 1, we conducted a content analysis of individuals' responses (N = 1,881) when asked what one would do if they could stop time or be invisible. Besides the "other" category whereby there were no specific category for nominated behaviors, the most nominated category included sexually exploitative behavior-representing 15.3% of reported behaviors. Both Studies 2 (N = 672) and 3 (N = 614) were preregistered manipulations of likelihood of discovery surreptitiously testing men's rape likelihood to rape across varying levels of discovery. We found men, compared to women, reported a statistically higher likelihood to rape in both Studies 2 and 3: 48% compared to 39.7% and 19% compared to 6.8%, respectively. Across Studies 2 and 3, we found no statistical effect of the likelihood of discovery on participants' likelihood to rape. We discuss how the presence of one's peers may provide social protection against the costs of using an exploitative sexual strategy if a perpetrator is caught.

Why Men Rape: Perspectives From Incarcerated Rapists in a KwaZulu-Natal Prison, South Africa.

Sexual offending is a global problem but is particularly prevalent on the African continent and in South Africa. Childhood experiences related to abuse, alcohol use, and criminal activities in the household and community has been associated with an increased risk for violence perpetration in adulthood. Less is known about sexual violence perpetration, especially in the South African context. In this study, the experiences of incarcerated male perpetrators of rape in South Africa are investigated along with the collective social context and individual childhood experiences that potentially contribute to rape perpetration. Eighteen male perpetrators of rape who were inmates at Westville Correctional Services in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, were interviewed. The semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews were transcribed, coded and annotated using an interpretive paradigm and thematic analysis approach. Five main themes emerged from the research and included (1) childhood trauma and adverse events, e.g., an absent father, being raised without parents, exposure to criminal or violent behavior, physical abuse, sexual abuse and poverty, (2) understanding rape, e.g., rape as sex by force and without consent, rape as a violent act, rape as sex with a minor, myths about rape (3) substance abuse, e.g., history of alcohol and drug use, and intoxication during rape perpetration, (4) gender roles and avoiding responsibility, e.g., victim blaming, rape as male prerogative, transactional sex, being framed or set-up, ignoring an ancestral call and (5) recidivism. The findings revealed that all rape perpetrators were exposed to at least one childhood trauma type. Family and community violence and criminality was common. Most participants avoided taking responsibility for their actions and blamed the victim and recidivism/prior convictions were often reported. The findings demonstrate the complex personality dynamic involved in the cycle of abuse and the evolution of criminal behavior, starting as a victim and ending as a perpetrator. The findings also highlight the need for interventions aimed at reducing childhood trauma exposure and improving the social and relational context of those at risk for childhood neglect and abuse.

Socioeconomic inequalities in sexual victimisation in a nationally representative sample of the Swedish population.

Sexual victimisation is a key public health concern because of its physical, psychological and social consequences. Nationally representative studies exploring sexual victimisation and re-victimisation are still scarce. The aim of the current study was to explore associations of sexual victimisation with sociodemographic factors including sexual orientation in Sweden. We used Swedish data from a national population survey linked to nationwide registers. The sample consisted of 3349 individuals aged 30-44 years, (2021 women and 1328 men). With a latent class analysis we identified groups of individuals with distinctly different experiences of sexual victimisation. Multinomial logistic regression was used to explore how common characteristics could explain latent class membership classes. Experiences of sexual victimisation were common: 48% of women and 13% of men had experienced sexual harassment, 47% of women and 12% of women sexual assault, 11% of women and 1% of men attempted intercourse and 8% of women and 1% of men rape. Among women four groups were identified who had distinctly different experiences of exposure to sexual victimisation such as low victimisation, sexually harassed and assaulted several times, highly sexually victimised with low re-victimisation and finally high victimisation. Both women and men who were highly sexually victimised had to a higher extent a non-heterosexual sexual identity. Non-heterosexual orientation is a robust indicator of a high level of sexual victimisation as well as re-victimisation among both male and female adults.

Women With Severe Mental Illness and Marital Rape

Marital rape has been socially and culturally normalized within marriage. It becomes a subtle form of violence against women with severe mental illness who cannot negotiate on sexual matters with their partner. This study aims to critically analyze empirical studies to see how women with severe mental illness can be at risk of being sexually abused by their intimate partner, its impact on their life, what protects them from abuse, historical framework, the role of mental health professionals, need of research on marital rape of men and a way forward. Mental health professionals need to consider all these factors and provide community-coordinated care and support.

Queering Terrorism

There are few theoretical and empirical researches on sexual fluidity and sexual victimization against men inside terrorist groups. Drawing from the case of Islamic terrorists group (Boko Haram), queer theory, and discursive accounts of male survivors, NGOs and security agents, I argue that Boko Haram’s rape of men and boys, whether collectively or individually, exposes their sexual fluidity. The reconstruction of acceptable sexual norms, syncretism due to the existence of same-sex subculture in Lake Chad, and hypocrisy explain their sexual variability. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge on the dynamics of sexuality and terrorism.

Effect of Rape on Physical and Psychological Aspects of Girl Child in Northern Nigeria

Rape is considered as a heartrending moment in a woman’s or girl’s life, it is reality but remain hidden to appropriate authority due to certain distress associated with stigma against the survivor, fear of victimization, cultural barrier, religious sentiments, shame influential, and lack of cognizance on human right. Rape is simply when sexual intercourse occur without ones consent (not willing) or force a person to have sexual intercourse against his/her will, it happen when someone is intoxicated from alcohol or drugs and sometimes for ritual purpose. It can be through vagina, anus or mouth. In northern Nigeria, rape is defined under section 282 of the panel code as. (a) Any act of rape against her will, (b) obtained by putting her fear, threats or death, (iii) with her consent when the man knows that he is not her husband and that her concern is given because she believes that he is the man who to whom she is or believe herself to be lawfully married to, (iv) with or without her consent when she is under fourteen years of age. The main objective of this paper is to examine the following. Why do men rape? How does rape harm victims psychologically? , What should I do if I have been raped? How can I protect myself from rape? What is the best way to prevent STD. Rape as felony, is among the most serious crime a person can commit, men as well as women and children can be raped. This paper will seek an answer to the above questions and provide some recommendations which will be of great importance to social agencies, survivors, parents and security agencies.

Why Do Men Rape? Male Prisoners’ Viewpoints through a Feminist’s Review

Rape cases have become more and more common nowadays. It is seen to be going rampant from day to day, with the number of victims increasing. A study to analyze the factors that lead to rape from adult rapists’ perspective was conducted at Pengkalan Chepa Male Prison (PCMP), Kelantan. Feminist views and laws concerning rape are adopted in the explanation and comparison of the factors. Questionnaires were distributed to 44 adult males who were convicted of committing rape under Section 376 of the Penal Code where the offenders are sentenced to jail. The study found that the main factors for the males to commit rape were their desire for sex and inability to resist lust (75%), the influence of pornography and porn videos (47.7%), the seductiveness of a woman (52.3%) and women’s attire (45%). The misconception of rape being assumed as sexual intercourse instead of a crime shows that the victims are often blamed for provoking rape. The implication of the study is discussed.

Thinking through the silence: theorizing the rape of Jewish males during the Holocaust through survivor testimonies

ABSTRACT Over the last several decades there has been an attempt to gender genocide by focusing on sexual as well as lethal violence during the Holocaust. While there has been tremendous consideration of women's experience of rape and sexual abuse during the Holocaust, the rape of men had not been previously engaged as a matter of study or archival investigation. This article is one of the first to study the rape of Jewish men and boys during the Holocaust through survivor testimonies and theorize the implications these testimonies of male sexual victimization have for our understanding of sexual violence and rape more broadly.

Interpretation of crime of “men rape” under international criminal justice

The present work has attempted to analyze sexual crimes and especially the crime of male rape. The international jurisprudence of international criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Court has tried to qualify rape either as a crime of genocide in the form of serious bodily and physical injuries, even if not necessarily permanent (lett. b) art. 6 of the Rome Statute; or as a crime against humanity where there are elements of context and above all material elements that emerge from the definitions given by the ad hoc Tribunals and the elements of crimes; or even as a war crime in case it is implemented as a part of a political plan or design, or as part of series of similar crimes committed on a large scale. This behavior is rebuilt in a residual way compared to that of sexual violence, according to a gender specific relationship to speciem . The indication of the level of gravity of the crime is necessary for the relevance of sexual violence and rape as crimes against humanity that we will see in the next years from the panorama of international criminal law.

Analyzing Child Rape in Bangladesh: A Socio-Legal Perspective

AbstractBangladesh is experiencing an epidemic of child rape. Discrimination based on patriarchal philosophies, inadequate rape laws, inadequate policies to address child rape, a conservative criminal justice system, and a conventional judicial environment has culminated in injustice for victims. Laws exist that require severe punishments; however, child rape has not been satisfactorily prevented. Societal norms, stigma, political pressure, money, power, and the critical process of the justice system make it extraordinarily difficult for victims to receive justice. This article describes the reasons why men rape children, including offenders’ psychological conditions and the advantages that men have over the weaker in the criminal justice system, enjoying impunity. While attempting to understand the reasons broadly, statistical data show that the reporting of such crimes has been increasing, but this does not genuinely represent the actual number of crimes committed. The article focuses on social phenomena associated with child rape culture and identifies reasons why crimes are not reported. An in-depth discussion of inappropriate laws for child rape and of the loopholes in these laws demonstrates the hardship that victims face in their fight for justice. Finally, social and legal recommendations for the prevention of child rape are highlighted.

‘But what about men?’ Gender disquiet in international criminal justice

This article explores the everyday remaking of patriarchy in international criminal justice. Drawing on 63 interviews at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and in Uganda, it argues that a gender backlash has been fomenting in international criminal justice, as practitioners express their disquiet about the ‘ubiquitous gender discourse’. They claim that the Court’s ‘gender agenda’ is in no small part driven from ‘outside’ and lament that it neglects the rape of men. The article traces how patriarchal norms are refashioned in international criminal justice by playing into legal sensibilities that see procedure rather than substantive change as the essence of (criminal) law. Ultimately, the article shows how attempts to foreground victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in international criminal justice first failed to include men, and now, in a belated effort to rectify their omission, construct their competitive victimhood in ways that reinforce rather than challenge patriarchal norms.

Why do men rape? Understanding the determinants of rapes in India

The study examines the determinants of rapes in India using state-level data for the time period 2001–2015. The panel model analysis indicates that there is no impact of education and economic growth, pointing towards a larger role of social and cultural factors in this context. The effect of deterrence variables (such as the number of police stations) is non-existent, possibly pointing towards the incompetency of the police force. Social attitude towards women emerged as the most robust predictor of the extent of rapes in India. We argue that the fundamental problem lies in the misogyny deeply rooted in the Indian society.

‘The penis is a weapon of power’: a feminist and hate crime interpretation of male sexual victimisation

ABSTRACTThis paper critically discusses understandings of male rape and male sexual assault in the UK, using a sample size of 70 respondents who consist of police officers and voluntary agency practitioners to shed light on their understandings and explanations of male rape, since they intimately deal with male rape victims/offenders. An analysis of how they make sense of male rape, using radical feminist and hate crime perspectives as frameworks to elucidate male rape and male sexual assault, reveals nuanced findings that suggest that men rape other men as a way in which to exercise power and control, but also as a way in which to unleash homophobia. Thus, this study found that male rape can be carried out as a form of hate crime and homophobic violence, demonstrating the prejudicial hatred the sexual offender has for his male rape victim. This finding is absent from the current literature on male rape. While there are some similarities to women’s rapes and sexual assaults, in terms of rape being about power and control, male rape is unique in that it is characterised by hatred not only in a gang male rape context, but also in a one-to-one context. This finding suggests some rather explanatory differences between male rape and female rape. The study begins an important exploration of the different explanations of male rape and male sexual assault. It encourages further theoretical and empirical research of male sexual victimisation.

Why, when and how men rape: Understanding rape perpetration in South Africa

This article reports the findings of research conducted with a randomly selected sample of men aged 18–49 years from the general population of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, who were asked in an anonymously conducted survey about their rape perpetration practices, motivations, and consequences thereof. Overall 27,6 per cent (466/1686) of men had forced a woman to have sex with them against her will, whether an intimate partner, stranger or acquaintance. Some perpetrated alone, others with accomplices. Most men who had raped had done so more than once, started as teenagers, and often had different types of victims. Asked about motivations, men indicated that rape most commonly stemmed from a sense of sexual entitlement, and it was often an act of bored men (alone or in groups) seeking entertainment. Rape was often also a punishment directed against girlfriends and other women, and alcohol was often part of the context. A third of men had experienced no consequences from their acts, not even feelings of guilt. More commonly there was remorse and worry about consequences, and in a third of cases there had been action against them from their family, that of the victims, or respected community members, and about one in five had been arrested for rape. This research confirms that rape is highly prevalent in South Africa, with only a small proportion of incidents reported to the police. Many of the roots of the problem lie in our accentuated gender hierarchy. This highlights the importance of interventions and policies that start in childhood and seek to change the way in which boys are socialised into men, building ideas of gender equity and respect for women.

Don't tell: Military culture and male rape.

The issue of sexual assault that occurs during military service has been a focus of attention over the past several years. Although approximately 50% of survivors of military sexual assault are men, virtually all of the literature focuses on the assault of female service members. Research has demonstrated that cultural variables are robust correlates of the sexual assault of women. This paper proposes that cultural variables are equally important when examining the rape of men, especially when this assault occurs in military contexts. We discuss male rape myths and related constructs as they are expressed within military culture. The results of data analysis from a treatment sample of veterans with military sexual trauma (MST)-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and clinical case examples are presented to further explore the concepts. We conclude that male rape myths and related beliefs that arise from cultural norms and are further amplified and modified by military culture impact male MST survivors and delay or obstruct their recovery. Suggestions for clinical application and future research are offered to encourage further efforts in this important area of practice.

Assessing stereotypes of adolescent rape

PurposeThis study examined adolescent rape in light of two popular stereotypes of young rapists. The “deficit” view emphasizes various sexual, psychological, or social problems, whereas the “entitlement” perspective highlights instrumental motivation, confidence, and gender-based privileges. MethodsThe study analyzed data on adolescent males from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). We used rare events logistic regression analysis to test the associations between rape and sexual abuse, sexual activity, personality and social attributes, and control variables. ResultsFindings indicated notable associations between adolescent rape and variables emphasized by both stereotypes: net of a range of controls, a history of sexual abuse and low sexual self-control were associated with rape, but rape was also positively associated with self-esteem. We found no significant relationships between adolescent rape and sexual precociousness, number of sexual partners, using sex as a coping mechanism, social isolation, impulsivity, or narcissism. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that both the deficit and entitlement stereotypes hold some merit for understanding why some young men rape.

Sex and international tribunals: the erasure of gender from the war narrative

Introduction: Gender and Violence in the Market and Beyond Chapter 1. The Women Were Not Raped: Gender and Violence in Butare-Ville Chapter 2. All the Women Were Raped: Gender and Violence in Rwanda Chapter 3. All Men Rape: Gender and Violence in Sierra Leone Chapter 4. All Women Are Slaves: Insiders and Outsiders to Gender and Violence Conclusion: There Are No Raped Women Here Notes Works Cited Index Acknowledgments