06sep05
THE rape of boys is not seen as a heinous crime because of society's attitudes to young men's sexuality, Hobart psychologists say.
And boys are as vulnerable to sexual abuse as girls but less likely to report the crime because of these attitudes.
With 25-year-old Hobart teacher Sarah Jane Vercoe pleading guilty to shocking sexual acts with five teenage boys, the uncommon scenario of boys falling sexual victims to women was revealed.
Vercoe pleaded guilty to having various sex acts with five teenage boys aged between 14 and 16 while she was a teacher at Rose Bay High School earlier this year.
The assumption that teenage boys wanted to have a sexual experience as early as possible made it difficult for society to understand the serious nature of such crimes, Hobart psychologist Peter Nelson said yesterday.
As well as peer pressure to assert themselves sexually, there was also the attitude of adults who should be trying to protect them that could lead to the sexual assault of boys being overlooked.
He said: "It can be seen as a coming-of-age experience rather than a situation that can be traumatic for boys."
Mr Nelson said it was wrong to assume women could not rape boys.
Rape is about power and taking away someone's control, he said.
"The teacher had power over the boys at the outset," he said. "You could never say they were on an equal footing with her."
Clinical psychologist Sabina Lane said female sexual predators were less common than men -- but not unusual.
Dr Lane said society did not generally consider males as victims in sexual assault but adolescent boys were particularly vulnerable.
"Their hormones are rife at this age, so to have someone pay them some attention is a nice thing. It can be very exciting," she said.
But a nice thing could quickly get out of control, with boys doing things they did not want to do, out of confusion or intimidation.
The age of consent protected them from becoming involved in something they did not have the maturity to deal with, she said.
If the boy believed it was his fault or that "real men" didn't say no to sex, then the abuse might continue for a lot longer because they kept quiet about it, she said.
"Males generally find it difficult to communicate, or communicate differently so it can be harder for boys to get help," she said.
Dr Lane said recovering from rape and sexual assault -- like grief -- depended on the individual but the response from family members played a huge part in the healing process.
Source:
Rape, power and misconceptions, Viewed at 6th September 2005
1 comment:
This is an important point. Boys are as vulnerable as girls to damage from mistreatment by others, including older women. We've heard it said so often, men and boys should not hide their feelings and live down to a stereotype. Well written article!
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