Making the invisible visible: (un)meeting male rape victims’ needs in the third sector
| Published date | 10 April 2017 |
| Pages | 106-115 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-08-2016-0248 |
| Date | 10 April 2017 |
| Author | Aliraza Javaid |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Aggression, conflict & peace,Sociology,Gender studies,Gender violence,Political sociology, policy & social change,Social conflicts,War/peace |
Making the invisible visible: (un)meeting
male rape victims’needs in the third sector
Aliraza Javaid
Abstract
Purpose –The purposeof this paper is to explorewhether the voluntarysector meets malerape victims’needs
in England,UK. The author’scontribution representsan attemptto piece together someof the voluntary sector’s
responses tomale rape victims in England,UK and examine whether theymeet male rape victims’needs.
Design/methodology/approach –The authordraws on data collected from semi-structuredinterviews and
qualitative questionnaires with male rape counsellors, therapists and voluntary agency caseworkers (n ¼70).
Findings –The findings reveal nuanced themes that have been overlooked in the existing literature of male
rape: first, male rape victims are not given a choice of their voluntary agency practitioner (regarding gender) to
serve them; second, there is no specific training on male rape in voluntary agencies; third, the impact of
limited resources and funding in the voluntary sector means that many male rape victims’needs are unmet;
and finally, there is ageism and discrimination in some voluntary agencies, whereby male rape victims are
prioritised in terms of their age.
Research limitations/implications –Methodologically, the author’ssample size was not considerablylarge
(n ¼70), making it difficult to generalise thefindings to all voluntary agency practitioners in a British context.
Practical implications –At a time of scarce funding and scant resources for the third sector, the impact of
limited resources and funding in the voluntary sector could mean that male rape victims may not receive
proper care and treatment. Budget cuts in the third sector are problematic, in that voluntary agencies may be
unable to get access to robust training programs for male rape or to resources that can help shape and
develop the ways in which they serve male rape victims. The needs of male rape victims, therefore, are
unlikely to be met at the local, regional and national levels.
Social implications –Some practitioners are misinformed about male rape and do not have the tools tobe
able to adequately and efficiently handle male rape victims. Not only can their lack of understanding of male
rape worsen male rape victims’trauma through inappropriate ways of handling them, but also the
practitioners may implicitly reinforce male rape myths, such as “male rape is solely a homosexual issue”
or “men cannot be raped”.
Originality/value –Whilst previous contributions have recognised the third sector’s responses to female
rape victims, little work has been done to identify their treatment of male rape victims. The author attempts to
fill some of this lacuna. In particular, The author draws attention to some of the issues and dilemmas that arise
when voluntary agencies provide services for male victims of rape. The author’s concern is that many male
rape victims’needs may be neglected or ignored because of the rise in neoliberalism, as there appears to be
a financial meltdown in the voluntary sector.
Keywords Neoliberalism, Policy and practice, Treatment, Ageism, Male rape, Voluntary agencies
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
In this paper, the role of the third sector in the management of male rape is considered. When this
paper refers to the third sector, it indicates the community or the voluntary sector’s duty of social
activity undertaken by agencies that are non-governmental and not-for-profit. When this paper
refers to male rape, it indicates men raping other men. The contribution of this paper represents
an attempt to piece together some of the voluntary sector’s responses to male rape victims in
England and examine whether they meet male rape victims’needs. Whilst previous contributions
have recognised the third sector’s responses to female rape victims, little work has been done to
identify their treatment of male rape victims. In this paper, attention is given to some of the issues
Received 31 August 2016
Revised 6 October 2016
13 November 2016
16 November 2016
Accepted 17 November 2016
Aliraza Javaid is a Gender
and Sexuality Theorist at the
Department of Social Sciences,
Leeds Beckett University,
Leeds, UK.
PAGE106
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JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACE RESEARCH
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VOL. 9 NO. 2 2017, pp.106-115, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1759-6599 DOI 10.1108/JACPR-08-2016-0248
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