One in every eight men has been a victim of sexual violence in their lifetime, according to Rick Goodwin, the founder and clinical director of Men and Healing, an Ottawa-based organization that provides sexual trauma therapy for men.
But when considering experiences of childhood sexual abuse, he said that number becomes one in six.
Goodwin added that male victims of sexual assault are less likely to report their experiences than women, and there are limited resources specifically for men.
And yet, he said the issue of sexual violence against men tends to be swept under the rug.
“As a man you’re supposed to be strong, powerful, in control. But the fact is, there are male victims out there and they’re suffering, and these conversations need to start happening.”
—Nathan Woodruff
Master’s of social work student at Carleton University and volunteer at the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC)
The myths about male sexual assault
Carrolyn Johnston, an equity advisor and the co-ordinator of Carleton University’s Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC), said there is a pervasive myth in society that men can’t get sexually assaulted, which is false.
She added people tend to believe only men can sexually assault men, although it’s possible for men to be sexually assaulted by women.
“Statistically, men are more often assaulted by other men, but they do get assaulted by women and they do get objectified by women,” Johnston said. “I don’t know that we do a very good job as a society of recognizing that.”
The issue with these myths is due to the definition of sexual assault, according to Goodwin.
He said the classical definition of rape, for example, is that penetration needs to occur, but a man being forced to penetrate against his will still constitutes sexual assault. Goodwin added this definition means that many men have trouble defining their experiences as sexual assault.
The myth that sexual arousal means a man enjoyed the assault is an another reason male sexual assault is often overlooked, according to Johnston.
“[Arousal] is a physiological reaction,” she said. “It happens whether the participant is willing or not.”
The gender-based issues with male victimization
Similar to women’s sexual assault, Goodwin said men under-report their experiences because of psychological barriers related to gender identity.
“The code of masculine identity, being invulnerable, is a barrier right off the bat,” he said.
But Matt Schaaf, the co-ordinator of the I Can MANifest Change Project of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls (OCTEVAW), said there is intersectionality within the field of preventing gender-based violence. He said men are often involved in these efforts because of their own experiences with violence.
“Violence, when it happens in our lives, is affected by gender, and so it’s important to look at women’s experiences and men and boys, and LGBTQ experiences as well,” Schaaf said. “All of them are different but all are interconnected.”
He added it is important to acknowledge the fact that men experience violence differently.
The availability of resources for men
Although sexual violence directed towards men does happen, Goodwin said many sexual assault support centres, such as the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre, are not equipped to serve men.
But the City of Ottawa still has some resources for male survivors of sexual violence.
The Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program (SAPACP) at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, offers emergency medical attention for sexual assault victims regardless of gender, according to Tara Leach, the head nurse examiner at SAPACP.
Leach said SAPACP also provides outsource counselling services for male victims if they are Ontario residents and experienced the assault in the past 90 days.
“Most patients who come in . . . qualify for counselling as part of a victim quick response program,” she said, adding that the program provides funded counselling for them.
Leach added that Catholic Family Services offer funded counselling services for men who have been sexually abused as children or adolescents, and the program is not exclusive to members of the Catholic Church.
For insured or non-funded counselling services, Goodwin said the Men and Healing program provides individual and group counselling and psychotherapy.
A new resource that will be implemented in Ottawa by the end of 2017 is the Ottawa Men’s Refuge, according to Luke Smith, the chair of the program. He said the Refuge’s mission is to provide shelter to men fleeing intimate partner violence (IPV), which can intersect with sexual violence.
Smith said there are also current options for men fleeing IPV or other violent situations, including homeless shelters or contacting Ottawa Victims Services, which will pay for up to three nights in a motel for men who are fleeing IPV.
He added that Ottawa Men’s Refuge is unique because they take on a collaborative approach with existing women’s services, and in order to do so they work closely with OCTEVAW.
“We are working with the community that already exists in order to identify the gaps, and to subsequently fill those gaps,” Smith said.
“It’s not that there are no options [for men], it’s that the options that we do have are simply not good enough,” he added.
Balancing men’s and women’s sexual assault resources is a dilemma for the provincial government, which funds sexual assault centres and victims services, according to Goodwin, as funding is difficult to obtain for any non-profit organization.
But Johnston said the call for more male-specific sexual assault services in Ottawa is not an attempt to infringe on the existing women’s services.
“Do men require resources? Yes they do, [but I] don’t think that it should be coming out of other agencies that serve women,” she said.
Carleton University’s sexual violence draft policy
Carleton University’s recent sexual violence draft policy has changed all pronouns referring to victims to be gender-neutral, according to Nicholas Connolly, the manager of strategic initiatives at the office of the vice-president (students and enrolment).
“The Sexual Violence Policy was created to ensure a safe, supportive and healthy campus for all members of our community (meaning any individual who has a relationship with the university) regardless of a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression,” he said via email.
He added that the policy previously referred to victims using female pronouns.
The on-campus impact
Leach said male sexual assault does exist on university campuses, though the numbers are low because they cannot be confirmed due to the lack of resources.
“You’d be surprised how many young men who do not identify as homosexual, or men who have sex with men, depending on how they might identify, who have had a drug-facilitated sexual assault as part of their campus experience,” Leach said.
“I’m not so certain that the numbers of men who have been sexually assaulted are that much lower, because males are less likely to access our services,” she added.
If a man is sexually assaulted on campus, the options are the same as those of a woman who’s been sexually assaulted, Johnston said. They have the same options of reporting the incident to campus safety, who are trained to deal with sexual assaults and would be prepared to handle a male reporting, and can access support via Health and Counselling Services or Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC).
Johnston said SASC volunteers receive 30 hours of training covering all forms of sexual assault, and part of that training is a session devoted exclusively to supporting male victims of sexual violence.
Nathan Woodruff, a social work master’s student and currently the only male volunteer with SASC, said he works every Wednesday from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m.
One in eight men will be victims of sexual violence in their lifetime.
—Rick Goodwin
Founder and clinical director of Men and Healing, an Ottawa resource for male survivors of sexual violence
Woodruff said it is always an option for male victims to talk to another male about their experiences. He added that he completed his first social work practicum with the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre at the Department of National Defence because they requested a male practicum student to offset the all female staff.
“Men have an easier time relating to men, I believe,” Woodruff said.
He added that men are often raised to be invulnerable, which can create barriers when it comes to talking about issues that men face, such as sexual assault.
“As a man you’re supposed to be strong, powerful, in control,” Woodruff said. “But the fact is, there are male victims out there and they’re suffering, and these conversations need to start happening.”
