Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence: Rape: Male Victims: Helping the Victims

What has been said about helping female rape victims is also true if the victims are male. As soon as possible after the assault, they should also try to

• get to a safe place
• seek medical help and secure the physical evidence,
• report the crime to the police and help them to arrest the rapist.

Once these immediate steps have been taken, rape victims should seek counseling, because the psychological trauma can be severe and long-lasting. A victim should not try to deal with it alone. Male victims may also experience the same problems as female victims: Nervousness, anxiety, flashbacks, sleeplessness, recurrent nightmares, emotional isolation, and depression. In short, they also may suffer from a “Rape Trauma Syndrome” which, in its first phase, resembles a medical shock and, in its second phase, a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
However, in addition to this, male rape victims often face special difficulties, because both the victim and the rapist were males.