By Daniel Itai, Johannesburg, South Africa
Many male rape victims often find it hard to report or share their horrendous encounter primarily because of fear of being victimized.
This has relatively resulted in many male rape victims having to go into depression with some committing suicide.
According to Rees Mann, Executive Director of South African Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse (SAMSOSA), male rape victims face a lot of challenges.
“10 percent of rape victims in South Africa are male. Male rape is not only perpetrated by males but also females. Especially when they are still toddlers but it’s not only unique to toddlers but even older males who get drugged and then raped.
However, when it comes to the male perpetrators in most cases if not most it has nothing to do with sex but humiliating the victim. The rape of male victims is much more violent than women,” said Mann.
Mann who is also a male rape victim said they were a lot of factors that made male rape victims to remain mum.
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“There are a lot of factors that make male victims not to come out which include but not limited to how society will perceive the victim and the fact that police don’t take male victims seriously.
It’s a process that male victims have to undergo throughout their recovery emotionally and physically. The victims are always questioning their masculinity am I man enough? There is toxic masculinity that doesn’t allow the male victim to come forward because of fear of being shunned.
However, it is more appropriate if the victim is to talk to someone a friend or a colleague, it helps
with the healing process because the trauma is actually worse than the rape primarily because of fact that the victim has to carry the burden alone,” said Mann.
For more information about male rape please visit samsosa.org the organization caters for all male rape victims regardless of location.
@danielItai_zw
