Male rape: offenders and victims

Abstract

In an analysis of 22 cases of male rape in a community setting, the gender of the victim did not appear to be of primary importance to some of the rapists, but for others, males appeared to be specific intended targets, and the rapists' assaults were an effort to deal with unresolved and conflictual aspects of their lives. For all offenders the sexual assault was an act of retaliation, an expression of power, and an assertion of their strength and manhood. The impact of rape on the male victims was similar to that on female victims, disrupting their biopsychosocial functioning; however, male rape appears to be underreported due to the stigma associated with it.