Violence against men

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Youth and their experiences of victimisation 2011

Of male victims of physical assault aged 15-24, 38.8% responded that the most recent incident had been reported to police. Similar reporting rates for the most recent incident of physical assault were estimated for female victims aged 15-24 (40.5%). In contrast, male victims of sexual assault aged 18-24 had a higher estimated reporting rate (48.3%) for their most recent incident in comparison to female victims aged 18-24 of sexual assault (39.0%).

Download: Youth and their experiences of victimisation 2011

Source: The Australian Bureau of Statistics

Male survivors of sexual assault and rape 2006

• Males represented approximately 16-20 per cent of the total reports for sexual assault and rape combined. Except for 2003/04, there was an increase in reporting of 1 per cent each year. Males under 17 years comprised the bulk of reports.
• Statewide data for all CASAs in 2002-2003 indicate that males represented 19 per cent of clients. A very high percentage of these clients relate directly to the CASA child and youth health service (Gatehouse) however it is likely that young people occupy a high perception of service use and were assisted within the broader CASA adult, statewide service. Figures for 2004-2005 indicate males represent 20 per cent (n = 1,925) of clients. Of the total clients from the child and youth health service (n = 1,102), 35 per cent (n = 391) were recorded as male. The figures for childrenindicate high percentages for sexual assault, and reveal a trend of high incidence figures for future adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
• Boys are also more likely than girls to be victims of female offenders (Tardif et al., 2005), however the bulk of offenders are male (Durham, 2003).

Download: Male survivors of sexual assault and rape 2006 ( 194Kb )

Source: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA)

Sexual Assault Against Men 2008

Sexual assault against men aged 18 and over in the 12 months before this survey include:

• 0.6% of men (42,300) experienced sexual assault;
• 44% (18,500) of these men experienced sexual assault by a family member or friend in the most recent incident;
• 35% (14,900) by an other known person; and
• 33% (13,900) by a stranger.
• A total of 5.5% (408,100) of men reported experiencing sexual violence since the age of 15.

Download: Sexual Assault Against Men 2008 ( 83Kb )

Source: Australian Institute of Criminology

Australian Crime: Facts and Figures 2007

• 16% of sexual assault victims in 2006 were male.
• Sexual assault was most likely to occur in the home environment. Of sexual assaults recorded in 2006, 66% occurred in dwellings.
• Sexual assaults on streets/footpaths and in recreational locations accounted for 6% each.
• Sexual assault was least likely to occur at retail locations (4%) or on transport (3%).
• For males, rates were highest for those aged 10-14 (95 per 100,000 relevant persons).
• Boys made up 32% of sexual assault victims aged less than 10 years (78 per 100,000 relevant persons).
• Where the relationship between victim and offender was stated, most sexual assault victims (78%) had some form of relationship with the offender.
• For males, (47%) of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a family member.
• In 38% of sexual assaults the offender was a non-family member known to the victim.
• Females (23%) were more likely than males (15%) to be sexually assaulted by strangers.

Download: Australian Crime: Facts and Figures 2007 ( 2.9Mb )

Source: Australian Institute of Criminology

Personal Safety Survey 2005

Findings of sexual assault against men aged 18 and over in the 12 months before the survey include that:

• 0.6% of men (42,300) experienced sexual assault.
• 44% (18,500) of these men experienced sexual assault by a family member or friend in the most recent incident.
• 35% (14,900) by an other known person.
• 33% (13,900) by a stranger.
• A total of 5.5% (408,100) of men reported experiencing sexual violence since the age of 15.

Download: Personal Safety Survey 2005 ( 1.5Mb )

Source: Australian bureau of statistics

Sexual Assault in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2004

• In 2003, 60% of male victims of sexual assault knew the offender.
• Of those who knew the offender, almost half knew them as family members.
• For all male victims, almost one in ten offenders were unknown to the victim, although almost one third were classified as 'Not stated/inadequately described'.
• The recorded proportion of sexual assault by someone unknown to the victim was lower for males (9%) than for females (16%).

Download: Sexual Assault in Australia: A Statistical Overview, 2004 ( 1.8Mb )

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Facts and Figures 2004

• There were about 92 victims of sexual assault per 100,000 population, 149 per 100,000 females and33 per 100,000 males.
• For males, rates were highest for those under 10, at 90 per 100,000.
• Boys made up 33% of sexual assault victims aged under 10 and 20% or less in older age groups.
• Between 2002 and 2003, the number of male victims of sexual assault increased by 1% while the number of female victims increased by 4%.
• Two in five sexual assaults were perpetrated by a family member and the figure is even higher formale victims.

Download: Facts and Figures 2004 ( 350Kb )

Source: Australian Institute of Criminology

What Lies Behind the Hidden Figure of Sexual Assault? Issues of Prevalence and Disclosure 2003

• Approximately 70% of the male victims represented in the 1992 national survey were assaulted prior to the age of 17.
• Most commonly by family members or other adult male acquaintances (Easteal 1994).
Almost half (47.4%) of the male respondents had, prior to the survey, never disclosed their abuse to anyone (Easteal 1994).
• The Victorian Law Reform Commission's Interim Report (2003) indicated that just over one-fifth of reports of penetrative offences such as incest and other sexual assaults against children were made by male victims over the past eight years.
  Easteal, P. (1994), Voices of the Survivors, Spinifex Press, Melbourne.
  VLRC (2003), Sexual Offences Interim Report, Victorian Law Reform Commission,Melbourne.

Download: What Lies Behind the Hidden Figure of Sexual Assault? ( 232Kb )

Source: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA)

Study of Reported Rapes in Victoria 2000-2003

• Male victims were more likely to see charges laid (27.1% compared with 14% for females).
• No male victims (n=64) were charged with false reporting or were involved in cases where police doubted their credibility.
• Male victims were also less likely to withdraw their complaints (8.5% compared with 15.7% of female victims).
• A third of male victims were identified as having a disability.
• Nearly half of the offences were reported within 24 hours and more than 80% were reported within twelve months.

Download: Study of Reported Rapes in Victoria 2000-2003 ( 448Kb )

Source: The Office of Women's Policy

American research

1 in 6 Org

American researchers estimate that 1 in 6 men have experienced unwanted or abusive sexual experiences before age 16. This is likely a low estimate, since it doesn't include noncontact experiences, which can also have lasting negative effects.

Please note: Researchers use "sexual abuse" to describe experiences in which children are subjected to unwanted sexual contact involving force, threats, or a large age difference between the child and the other person (because a large age gap involves a power differential and exploitation).

What the best research tells us:

• A 2005 study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, on San Diego Kaiser Permanente HMO members, reported that 16% of males were sexually abused by the age of 18.
• A 2003 national study of U.S. adults reported that 14.2% of men were sexually abused before the age of 18.
• A 1998 study reviewing research on male childhood sexual abuse concluded that the problems is "common, under-reported, under-recognized, and under-treated."
• A 1996 study of male university students in the Boston area reported that 18% of men were sexually abused before the age of 16.
• A 1990 national study of U.S. adults reported that 16% of men were sexually abused before the age of 18.

Source: 1 in 6 Org

Male Rape

• About 3% of American men - a total of 2.78 million men - have experienced a rape at some point in their lifetime (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006).
• In 2003, one in every ten rape victims was male. While there are no reliable annual surveys of sexual assaults on children, the Justice Department has estimated that one of six victims are under age 12 (National Crime Victimization Study, 2003).
• 71% of male victims were first raped before their 18th birthday; 16.6% were 18-24 years old, and 12.3% were 25 or older (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006).
• Males are the least likely to report a sexual assault, though it is estimated that they make up 10% of all victims (RAINN, 2006).
• 22% of male inmates have been raped at least once during their incarceration; roughly 420,000 prisoners each year (Human Rights Watch, 2001).
• Research indicates that the most common sites for male rape involving post-puberty victims are outdoors in remote areas and in automobiles (the latter usually involving hitchhikers).
• Boys in their early and mid-teens are more likely to be victimized than older males (studies indicate a median victim age of 17).
• The form of assault usually involves penetration of the victim anally and/or orally, rather than stimulation of the victim's penis.
• Gang rape is more common in cases involving male victims than those involving female victims.
• Multiple sexual acts are more likely to be demanded, weapons are more likely to be displayed and used, and physical injury is more likely to occur, with the injuries that do occur being more serious than with injured female rape victims (Porter, 1986).

Download: Male Rape ( 89Kb )

Source: National Center for Victims of Crime (USA)

Related information:

What Lies Behind the Hidden Figure of Sexual Assault? Issues of Prevalence and Disclosure

While men describe similar disincentives to reporting sexual assault (McAdam and Fitts 1999), there are other factors that have historically worked against any serious public or legal recognition of the sexual victimisation of men and boys. For example, prior to 1980 in Victoria, the offence of rape was gender-specific - men could only be the offenders of rape, not the victims (Bargen and Fishwick 1995).Further, prior to the last decade, most studies examining the prevalence of sexual violence have tended to focus almost exclusively on women's experiences. Any public recognition of the extent to which men and boys experience sexual violence has therefore been minimal. Moreover, male victims have themselvesbeen hesitant to disclose their experiences for fear of being labelled future perpetrators or homosexual, or because they fear being treated as social outcasts, liars or as emotionally weak (Mezey and King 2000; Stott 2001).

• McAdam, H. & Fitts, A. (1999), Why Wreck A Man's Life? The Paradox of Male Sexual Assault, Report by La Trobe Community Health Service and Creative Skill Consultants commissioned by the Victims' Referral and Assistance Service, Victoria.
• Bargen, J. & Fishwick, E. (1995), Sexual Assault Law Reform: A National Perspective, Office ofthe Status of Women, Canberra.
• Mezey, G. & King, M.B. (1989), The Effects of Sexual Assault on Adult Males: A Study of 22 Victims, Psychological Medicine, vol. 19, pp. 205-209.

Download: What Lies Behind the Hidden Figure of Sexual Assault? ( 232Kb )

Source: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault (ACSSA)

Related reports

Male Survivors of Sexual Assault and Rape, Australian Institute of Family Studies, September 2006

Download: Male Survivors of Sexual Assault and Rape ( 195Kb )

Source: Australian Institute of Family Studies

This is not an exhaustive list of research in the area of family violence and sexual assault, merely a starting point. As the locations of web pages often change, many of these reports have been made available through this page to assist readers. Please note that these pdfs may not contain the latest version or any recent changes so it is recommended that researchers check the author's website for updates, suplements or amendments. All published details correct as at Sept 2011.

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Disclaimer Copyright Updated: 3 Oct 2011