Women are not the only ones!

Women are not the only ones!

By Abriana Cantaffa

I have recently read an article online that made me want to address the topic of the rape of men. Women are not the only ones who are victims of rape and sexual assault. The article speaks about men in Uganda and their stories. Owiny was to help people in Africa with their traumas. One women was having difficulty with her husband, and eventually the man told Owiny what had happened to him. This man had been captured and rapped three times a day, every day. For three years. He was not the only one, there were many men being raped.

We hear only of stories that the few women tell. Not many men, if any, tell theirs.

Little men have told the story of what has happened to them. In African countries, men can be arrested for being gay. If these men report what has happened to them, not only could they be arrested, but their families and friends would shun them.  

A man, Jean Paul (not his real name, due to keeping him protected) told his story of being captured along with other men and women. The men that were captured were raped by different men 11 times the night that they were captured and the nights after that, until Jean Paul was able to get away. Jean Paul could not tell his family, he was so ashamed that this had happened to him. In many countries the gender roles are so strictly defined that he was afraid that he would no longer be considered a man. Men are supposed to be strong, not vulnerable. The wives tend to leave these men because they question whether or not they are still their husband. [1]

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-menWomen have support groups, medical treatment and such things. What about the men? They are just dying on the inside. The rape of men is real, but people do not talk about it.

Gender role is a big part of why men do not report what has happened to them. Men are the strong, family supporter, protector, invulnerable. Women are the dependent, weak and vulnerable. Because of the role of the genders men are too scared to come forward as a victim of rape. Sometimes it is easier for men to deny the truth because society doesn’t see the rape of men as something that happens. Men are not see as victims of rape, rather they are seen as the rapist or aggressor.

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[1] Storr, Will. "The rape of men: the darkest secret of war."The Observer, Jully 16, 2011. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/jul/17/the-rape-of-men (accessed March 31, 2014).