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Over 72,000 men found to be raped in UK every year

Bhai Zakir

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Over 72,000 men found to be raped in UK every year


LONDON: Men in Britain aren't safe.

Data released today by the government shows that 72,000 males are raped and sexually assaulted in UK every year, whether reported or not.

More than one in 10 (12%) rapes in UK are against men.

Latest figures also show there were 2,164 rape and sexual assaults against males aged 13 or over recorded by the police in the year ending September 2013.

This has made Britain decide for the first time to commit £500,000 over the next financial year to provide services, like advice and counselling, to help male victims who previously have not been able to receive such support and encourage them to come forward after experiencing such a crime.

The fund announced will also support historic victims who were under 13 at the time of the attack.

The government said on Wednesday that male victims of rape and sexual violence will receive unprecedented access to vital help and support thanks to the first dedicated fund designed specifically to meet their needs, victims' minister Damian Green has announced.

Green said, "we must help all victims to cope, and as far as possible recover, from the impacts of crime - especially when it is as serious as rape or sexual abuse. Despite large number of sexual assaults against men, many choose not to come forward, either to report the crime or seek the support they need. I am determined to help break the silence on a subject still seen as taboo."

"Average sentences for male rape have increased but there is more to do. That is why we are toughening up sentencing and have introduced a mandatory life sentence for anyone convicted of a second very serious sexual or violent crime."

The fund will be open to bids from all charities and support organizations who feel they can offer help specifically for male victims. This will build on the services already available for rape or sexual abuse victims and ensure victims of most serious crimes received the highest level of support.

One organization which currently helps male sexual violence victims is Survivors Manchester, whose founder Duncan Craig has welcomed the new funding.

Mr Craig said, "In the past there has not been enough support in the UK for male victims of sexual violence, such as myself. But in the future I would like to see both the government and society begin talking more openly about boys and men as victims and see us trying to make a positive change to pulling down those barriers that stop boys and men speaking up. This funding will help to raise awareness of the issue and ensure that male victims are no longer ignored."

"I'd like to tell all boys and men that are sitting in silence I have been there. I have been silent and it's not a nice place to be. Yes it's difficult, embarrassing and painful to speak out but once you start healing, you will be able to break free from the legacy. Get support lads, don't suffer. You deserve to be able to heal."

Actor James Sutton plays rape victim John Paul McQueen in Hollyoaks. He worked with Survivors Manchester on the soap's current storyline and is supporting the ministry of justice to raise awareness of the issue of male rape and sexual violence.

Mr Sutton said, "The reason it was so important for Hollyoaks to feature a male rape storyline is because it is so rarely talked about. The over-riding message from survivors I met while researching the role was that victims of male sexual violence do not know where to go for help and support."

Victim's commissioner Baroness Newlove said "We must never underestimate the pain that victims go through as a result of such disturbing crimes. Victims of male rape have told me that they need more support - I'm glad the government has listened."

Around 91% of offenders in 2011 who were found guilty of rape of a male were given custodial sentences, with an average jail time of eight-and-a-half years.

Over 72,000 men found to be raped in UK every year - The Times of India

Prosecuting rape: slow ahead

It would be a tragedy if high-profile acquittals meant police and CPS reverted to a hyper-cautious approach to prosecutions

Successful prosecutions for rape and sexual assault are extremely difficult to deliver. For a start, the victim, frightened and diminished by the experience, has to have the confidence to come forward. Then the police have to believe the victim, and there has to be enough evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service to judge there's a good chance of conviction. And then, when the case finally comes to trial, the jury must be convinced by the prosecution in a case that often comes down to one person's word against another. No surprises then that more than one case in three (of the small proportion of attacks that actually get to court) fails at the end. Often the victim is left feeling as if it were they who had been on trial, as the former director of public prosecutions Kier Starmer recognises in his commentary in this paper on Friday.

In the wake of the dismissal of 12 of the 14 charges against the DJ Dave Lee Travis, barely a week after the Coronation Street actor Bill Roache was also acquitted of charges, some of which dated back 50 years, the CPS will no doubt be prepared for another mugging for over-reacting to the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile. To be wrongly accused of rape or sexual assaults is a terrible experience. But so is being raped and then disbelieved. As Mr Roache said last week, there are no winners from the experience.

It would be a tragedy if after these high-profile acquittals involving historic cases the police and the CPS reverted to their hyper-cautious approach to prosecutions. There is already concern that years of concentrated effort are threatened by the pressure on police to meet targets. A quick tour of the statistics for successful prosecutions in rape and sex attack trials does little to encourage police to pursue them or victims to come forward.

According to the Crime Survey, on average 85,000 women are raped every year and 400,000 are sexually assaulted.

But a mere 15,000 rapes are actually reported. Of those, only a fifth come to court. And in just a little over a thousand of them is there a conviction.
This is not, contrary to myth, because of time-wasting or false allegations. An investigation two years ago by the CPS and Home Office concluded they were extremely unusual: of every 161 rape prosecutions, there was just one related to a false allegation.

All the same, something has changed. Events since Jimmy Savile was first exposed as a serial rapist have brutally stripped away years of widespread complicity in sexual abuse at every level of society. In doing so, a cultural shift has been confirmed, one that has been years in the making. It's not enough on its own – it will not mean the end of some men taking advantage of their power to abuse women, nor abusing women in order to exert power over them. But their victims should now know they can complain, and they will be heard.


Prosecuting rape: slow ahead | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian
 
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