Male Survivors

At one time, it was thought up to 90% of sexual abuse victims might be female. Now, growing awareness and knowledge about abuse of boys and men continues to reduce such high estimates. We still do not know accurate figures, however, because abuse of males has been particularly under-reported.

Male survivors have taken longer to come forward and speak out publicly, and there are fewer support services, but the past decade has seen a big growth in helpful books, support agencies and websites, and in survivors being prepared to bear witness publicly. Abuses in, for example, care homes and religious institutions have affected both sexes, but these cases have particularly brought to light the extent of assaults against boys.

While of course many issues are the same for male and female survivors, some are of special concern to men. These include:

• Fears about masculinity, male identity and sexuality.
• Intense shame at being a victim.
• Very low self-esteem and self-hatred.
• Fear of being perceived as a perpetrator of abuse, when the majority are not.
• Difficulties in forming and maintaining relationships.
• Anger issues, including extreme risk-taking behaviours.
• Male prostitution.
• The way abused male patients in drug, alcohol and mental health services are perceived and treated.
• Men and the diagnoses of psychosis and anti-social personality disorder.
• Needs of male survivors in prisons, forensic services and special hospitals.

For example, many male survivors report that stereotyped prejudices against men persist, even in these supposedly enlightened times. Thus, traumatised men may still be viewed as people who carry out "meaningless" violence or aggression, or as somehow weak – "less than a man".

You can read more about many of the issues mentioned above in our Research, Library and Help and Support sections.