Sexual abuse occurs when somebody is made to engage
in sexual actions without their consent. Sexual abuse can include unwanted touching through to rape. It occurs during
times of peace but is also used as a weapon of war. It can be found in the home or on the street. It can be committed
by a stranger, but is more likely to be carried out by someone known to the victim. A woman or man can be sexually
abused, including raped, by one man, or many. She or he may be conscious or drugged. Women rarely talk of rape-in
some societies, the shame is such that women can be driven from their communities. For men, talking about sexual abuse can
be even more problematic.
Sexual abuse is not uncommon
21% of girls and
11% of boys experience some form of child sexual abuse
23% of women and 3%
of men experience some form of sexual assault.
5% of women and 0.4% of men experience rape.
40%
of adults who are raped tell no one about it.
31% of children reach adulthood without anybody
ever knowing they suffered sexual abuse.
(Cross Government
Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse,UK Government 2007)
Violence against women and girls continues unabated in every continent,
country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families, and on society as a whole. Most
societies prohibit such violence — yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or tacitly condoned.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, 8
March 2007
It
is estimated that worldwide, one in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime
(United Nations Development Fund for
Women)
In June 2008 The United
Nations Security Council described the sexual assault of women and children in war zones as becoming so widespread and systematic
as to reach 'appalling levels of brutality'. A resolution was accepted that “rape and other
forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide”.
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Sexual abuse in all its forms violates. The hurt can be exacerbated
by a society suspicious of the victims. You will know whether you have been the victim of sexual abuse regardless
of the misconceptions surrounding it, regardless of whether you fit the 'typical' victim profile. You will know
- and so does God. UK Home Office report on rape
World Health Organisation
In 2002 the World Health Organisation published its first
World Report on Violence and Health which is the first comprehensive summary of the global problem of violence. Chapter
6 of the report focusses on sexual violence. This chapter presents a summary of much available research into sexual violence,
including that on the consequences of sexual violence. Below, the main points of the report are summarised.
WHO Report
Pregnancy
The rate of pregancy resulting from rape varies between societies, in particular in relation
to the female population's general use of oral contraception. Thus, whilst in Ethiopia where their use is low 17% of all rapes
result in pregnancy, in the United States the figure is 5%: this equates to 32,000 pregnancies through rape each year.
Gynaecological Problems
Sexual abuse can result in vaginal bleeding and infection. Sexual desire may be greatly
reduced and pain consequent from sexual intercourse. Chronic pelvic pain and urinary tract infections are also commonly
reported problems as a result of abuse.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The report considers research specifically regarding the risk of HIV infection.
Violent and forced sex increases the risk of this infection due to the abrasions and cuts which commonly occur in the vagina,
increasing the ease at which the HIV virus can enter. Anal rape suffered by men and boys as well as women and girls poses
a particular threat in terms of HIV infection because anal tissue is even more easier damaged, allowing greater ease of virus
transmission.
Mental Health
The report relates research which reveals that amongst women presenting with symptoms
of psychiatric disorders, 33% had a history of sexual violence as adults compared with 6% of women with no such history. Victims
of sexual abuse have a greater risk of depression and post traumatic stress disorder. 50% of women will still suffer stress
related symptoms after counselling for their abuse. Victims of both adult and child sexual abuse are more likely to
attempt or commit suicide.
In 2002 the British Journal of Psychiatry
published a paper entitled ‘Sexual molestation of males: associations with psychological disturbance’.
At the time of the research the authors report that there was no data in Europe concerning the relationship
between male victims of sexual abuse and their likelihood of experiencing psychological problems. Their
results showed that men who experienced child sexual abuse were more likely to experience any type of
psychological problem in later life. Self harm, however, was the most likely problem to occur in men who
experienced sexual abuse as adults.
The Ripple Effect
The Australian Government in 2007 published a report which
looked at research into the effects of sexual abuse-effects on the individual but also the wider social context, including
the family, professional workers in the field and society as a whole. Whilst sexaul abuse muct be experienced as a individual
problem, it is inherently social.
Click here to download the report
An Editorial in
the British Medical Journal (2003), 'Management of people who have been raped', cited various evidence
concerning the possible effects of rape. The pregnancy rate was identified as 5%, the rate of sexually transmitted
disease from 4-56%. Anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide and difficulties with relationships and sexual activity were
also identified.
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Myths Concerning Rape
A fear confronting victims of sexual abuse,especially
rape, is that they will either not be believed or will be blamed. Why? Because rape is a crime surrounded by myths
- assumptions that conflict with the evidence. If you are a victim or you are supporting a victim, be assured of the difference
between myth and fact.
Myths Surrounding Female Rape
Rape is committed by strangers: Women
are most likely to be raped by men they know. For example, 32% of rapes were committed by previous
partners, 22% by acquaintances, and 45% by current partners. Only 8% of rapes were by strangers. (UK Home
Office). 97% of callers to a Rape Crisis Line knew their assailant prior to the attack.
Women cry rape
too easily: Less than 6% of rapes get
reported to the police. Rather than 'crying too easily’, women fail to report due to fear, misplaced guilt, shame
and fear of simply not being believed. The level of false accusations is the same for any other crime: 2%.
Rape is a product of an uncontrollable
sex drive: Men
can, and do, control their sexual urges. Rape is an act of violence, not a sexual act.
If a woman didn't struggle then it wasn't rape: Most women are afraid to struggle. Some will be drugged. Official advice is to not incite the
attacker to become more physically aggressive. This will sometimes necessitate keeping quiet
and ‘calm’ and waiting for the attack to end.
Rapists are not normal
men and are probably mentally ill:
Research suggests that rapists are rarely mentally ill.
Rather, they are normal men who happen to rape. Rapists come from different social classes and ethnic groups.
Myths Surrounding Male Rape
Male rape simply doesn't happen : In the year 2005-06, 62,081 sexual
offences were recorded by the police. Of this number, 14,449 were offences of rape, of which 92% were rape of a female and
8% were rape of a male. In the UK in 2007 there were 1006 cases of reported rape against men. It is widely accepted
that this figure is a gross underestimate of the real rate of this crime because of the general problems of reporting
sexual offences which may be intensified with male victims. Men can be and are victims of rape. Mankind, a charity concerned
with sexual violence against men, estimate that 3 in 20 men are affected by sexual violence.
Men who rape other men are homosexual: Research
indictes that most men who sexually assault another man are heterosexual rather than homosexual.
Male victims probably appeared homosexual :
As with sexual abuse against females, male sexual violence has nothing to do with sexual attraction. Rather it is an
act related to the need for control and power.
Men will be less
affected by it than women: Society constructs men in such a way that they are expected to appear
masculine, to stay strong and to deal with the 'knocks' of life. There is no evidence that male victims are any less
seriously affected by sexual abuse than females. Indeed, it may well be that their suffering is enhanced as sexual assault
services are primarily aimed at females and as society creates myths which marginalise the reality of their victimhood. Research
suggests that a particular affect of sexual assault on men is their perception of their own sexuality.
If a man experienced
sexual arousal or orgasm then this means he wasn't a real victim: Physical
stimulation, even in the context of traumatic or painful situation, can lead to male erection and even orgasm. Victims may
struggle not only with society's wrong assumptions about this, but with a sense of shame and guilt.
Male rape only really happens in prisons :Whilst
male rape happens in prisons, it also happens in all areas of society-on the streets, within the family home, in educational
insitutions and so on. Male rape is most definitely not 'a prison thing'.
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