Sexual abuse of men in the spotlight
There were some shocking statistics higlighted, such as 11 per cent of rapes being reported are by men - but men are also 10 times less likely to report rape.
THE Victim Support Unit (VSU) and the South African Male Survivors Of Sexual Abuse (SAMSOSA) is making people aware of the real and very serious problem of men and boys being sexually abused.
On May 23, the organisations held the final meeting in their campaign that included two workshops and a community awareness presentation, aimed at informing the public of the scourge that is not currently being taken seriously.
“This was a hands-on, thought-provoking and insightful workshop that left us inspired and better equipped to deal with victims of trauma,” said Sheralee Bosman, VSU spokesperson.
There were some shocking statistics higlighted, such as that 11 per cent of rapes are reported by men – but men are also 10 times less likely to report rape.
Rees Mann, founder of SAMSOSA, (a non-profit organisation and the first registered organisation formed to support non-offending male survivors of sexual abuse and rape in South Africa), was the speaker and he gave some insight and shared the plight of these victims who usually are not seen or heard.
“Nearly 20 per cent of victims of sexual abuse are male and one in five males will experience some form of sexual abuse in their lifetimes, but these numbers could be much higher, because we only have the stats that are reported to go on,” says Mann, who is also a survivor of sexual abuse.
“We live in a society that says men should be tough and can take care of themselves, but the truth is that they too can be victims, yes, even at the hands of women, and as such, they should be treated as victims, not laughed at and made to feel like they are not real men because of what happened to them.
I started this organisation because there are no support systems in South Africa for these people, so we offer them that much needed support and non-judgemental environment where they can share their ordeals,” adds Mann.
“Whatever you tell your daughters, tell your sons too,” he concludes.
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