About two years ago I sat with some friends and said that the next 'media blockbuster' now that child abuse was out, would be the rape of young men by self defined 'straight' men. Well this is not a media blockbuster. This is a book by doctors. It's an academic text and very interesting. It hugs the empirical and avoids drawing any overt political conclusions. This despite an entire article dedicated to Homophobia and a clear theme throughout highlighting the construction of male identity as a primary difficulty in enabling men to seek help.
Other chapters in this short and clearly set out book include 'Male Sexual Assault in the Community', 'Male Co-Survivors; The Shared Trauma of Rape', and 'Male Rape in Institutional Settings'. The final chapter looks at treatment for male victims of sexual assault and concludes that not enough is yet known about the extent of the problem and the resulting needs of male victims.
Men and boys are reluctant to come forward and the occurrence is still too difficult for general public consumption although guarded media coverage is beginning to occur.
Throughout the book many of the assumptions about male rape notably, for example, that all young boys are raped by gay men, are challenged and shown to be incorrect. Research in the U.S.A. has indicated that the reverse is the case. Gay men tend to be raped by heterosexual men.
In Chapter Three Bill Watson and Aron Bentovim, take us through the complex of issues that become part of the world of sexually abused boys. They look at issues as diverse as Child Sex Rings, Abuse by Women, issues around self esteem and the longer term effects the victim suffers. They then detail some of the work that has been undertaken at Great Ormond St. Hospital with male children.
Little attempt is made to interpret any of the findings. That is not the book's brief. Rather it discusses the situation using data gained through detailed research projects. All that is required is that it imparts this information. This it does very well.
The issues for men are vast. This is perhaps the greatest heterosexual taboo. The questions are endless. This book is nothing if not a pointer to the more interesting work. Some of which is being done in special police projects where victims are offered chaperones by specially trained officers to encourage them to come forward.
Have a look at it, if you are in a library.
Nigel Larcombe
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