Male rape and sexual assault

Abstract

Why should male rape and sexual assault need a separate chapter in a book of forensic gynaecology? Is the distress, frozen helplessness in the face of intim-ate assault or need for support afterwards really any different for men and women? The impact of sexual assault on male, female and transgender survivors has many common elements but it is worth exploring what differs. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 achieved gender neutrality for all the sexual offences except rape: in the UK the perpetrator requires to possess a penis to commit rape, although females can be convicted for incitement or conspiracy to commit the act of rape. There are, however, signiicant diferences for men, affecting their reporting rates [1], attrition of cases prior to court, coping mechanisms and access to support services. It is also worth thinking about particular groups of vulnerable men and boys: Those vulnerable to sexual assault by women, such as children in their care, men in prison or during warfare, male sex workers and males in domestic violence situations. Young people, under the age of 18, can be exploited and drawn into the provision of sexual services in return formoney, drugs or accommodation: child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a problem afecting boys as well as girls. Mental health problems or learning difficulties may inhibit men from reporting sexual assault; those with physical disability may be dependent on an abusing carer, compounding the diiculty of reporting abuse.