Men ‘raped’ by women were threatened or overpowered in 14% of cases, says survey

One in seven men who reported being “raped” by women said they were physically overpowered or threatened with a weapon.

A survey of 154 British men claiming to be victims of forced sex with women found that a fifth had succumbed to blackmail and verbal threats.

But a high proportion, 14.4%, said they had experienced actual or threatened physical violence, such as being pinned down or restrained, or having a weapon held over them.

While the majority of the men were aged 16 to 25 when the alleged incident happened, just over 10% were children aged 15 and under.

In 80% of cases the men kept their experience – most frequently described as “rape” – a secret from their family and friends. Only two individuals went to the police, and neither of these cases ended up in court.

Law experts who carried out the research said the findings shone a glimmer of light on a hidden and largely unrecognised crime.

Dr Siobhan Weare, from the University of Lancaster Law School, who led the team, said: “The term ‘forced to penetrate’ has been coined for these cases because, while they involve non-consensual penile penetration, they do not fall under the offence of rape.

“The offence of rape can only be committed by men due to the requirement of penile penetration of the victim. In ‘forced to penetrate’ cases, the offender is the one being penetrated by a non-consenting victim.”

She added: “This is the first and only survey of its kind to be conducted in the UK.

“The ‘hidden-hidden’ nature of this crime and the complex gender dynamics involved means that huge numbers of survey participants were highly unlikely – not because this isn’t happening to men – but because many are made to feel too ashamed or feel too distressed to report it.”

How widespread such cases are in the UK is unknown but research reported in the US in 2010 found that roughly one in 21 men (4.8%) had been forced to have penetrative sex with someone in their lifetime, said Dr Weare. In just under 80% of these cases the perpetrator was female.

Participants for the online survey were recruited through newspaper adverts, social media, and organisations working with men who had experienced sexual violence.

Questioned about how they were coerced into having sex, 22.2% of the men cited lies, threats to end a relationship, warnings of rumour-spreading and verbal abuse.

Non-consensual administration of drugs was involved in just 1.3% of cases, said the researchers .

Almost three quarters of the men said they had not sought any support after their experience, despite a fifth reporting “severe negative emotional” effects.

The study challenged cultural stereotypes including the belief that women are physically too weak to overpower men, and the “lucky boy” syndrome – the assumption that men welcome any opportunity to have sex with women, said Dr Weare.

“Raising public awareness of the issue is crucial to ensure this is no longer a hidden crime,” she said. “The findings of this research will enable a greater understanding of such experiences and will help to develop practice and policy in this area, as well as in relation to the broader issue of men who experience sexual violence.”

The poll was conducted in conjunction with Survivors Manchester, a charity that supports men who have suffered sexual abuse.

Duncan Craig, the charity’s founder and chief executive, said: “I was delighted that we could support the research as it shines a light on one of our last taboos in society – male victims and female perpetrators. We have got to break the silence on this and let men know that we are here to listen and support them when needed.”

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