I was taken back this week by a comment made by one of my first year students during a class discussion, "men can not be raped..". Needless to say, the discussion in class was heated. But this made me think of how much more we need to do to educate our society about such a sensitive issue. And how can we cross the cultural barriers?
I've looked at the "Slut Walk" campaign, which is an ant-rape campaign and the title has caught the attention of the world. However, what amazed me, was that even in a world recognised campaign there was no mention begin made to male victims and the campaign builds on an old perception that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised".
We need a campaign that educates across the board because statistics in South Africa give us a very different pictures of rape victims. A study done in 2008 uncovered endemic sexual abuse of male children that was suspected, but poorly documented according to Neil Andersson and Ari Ho-Foster of the Centre for Tropical Disease Research in Johannesburg. The study highlighted:
So maybe this year when it is time for the "Slut Walk" again, we will take the time to give voice to the opposite sex - rape does not happen only to females!
- The survey carried out in 1 200 schools across the country asked 127 000 boys aged between 10 and 19 if they had ever been sexually abused and, if so, by whom.
- Forty-four percent of the 18-year-olds said they had been forced to have sex in their lives and half reported consensual sex.
- About a third said they had been abused by males, 41 percent by females and 27 percent said they had been raped by both males and females.
(Image: www.rapevictims.org.za)
Interesting... I think it boils down to traditional backgrounds, whereby men are taught to be strong, and not show emotion. It is 2012, and it still happens. I think the statement the student made also came from the notion that men rape, rather than get raped, unless they become victims in prison. It is still sweot under the carpet that men can become victims in this open society.
ReplyDeletewow,as a nation we are ignorant & strereotypical because we look away, we don't focus on such issues, we have this mentality that "tigers don't cry"
ReplyDeleteWell tigers do cry in male prisons. Rape has become a widespread phenomenon in South African prisons. The American writer(W.H Auden, September 1, 1939) thinks that is it sad because the culture in male prisons asserts power relations predominantly through aggressive forms of masculinity and force.
ReplyDeleteRape is becoming a HUGE issue in South Africa. Little boys are raped but mainly or mostly by people who know them: family friend, uncle and so on. But the question is, what is the government doing about it?
ReplyDelete