The #MeToo movement has led many women to feel empowered to talk about the sexual violence they’ve experienced, but another group of survivors may also be in crisis and, in many cases, not as likely to speak out: boys.

At least 1 in 6 men are survivors of sexual abuse or assault they experienced either as children or adults, according to 1in6.org.

Men who have had experiences such as these are even less likely to talk about them than women are and stand a greater risk of experiencing serious mental health issues, such as suicidal thoughts, alcohol and drug abuse, relationship problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the organization reports.

Dr. Robert Blum, who has studied adolescents for 40 years, is helping lead a study on gender, adolescence, and health, according to The Washington Post.

Blum told The Washington Post the study’s data shows that “the myth that boys are advantaged and girls are disadvantaged simply isn’t true.”

Boys were also subjected to physical violence, neglect, and sexual abuse, Blum’s team found, and often at higher levels than girls — and the more a boy was treated in this manner, the more likely he was to inflict violence on others. Changes in behavior such as aggression is one of several signs of sexual abuse in boys, which can become a pattern of violence as they move into adulthood.

Something else that we don’t often talk about is how often this violence is committed by other children.

The results of the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence research, published by SAGE Journals, revealed that most sexual offenses among children — 76.7% for boys and 70.1% for girls — occur at the hands of other children, generally acquaintances. Most of the experiences happened when the juveniles were between ages 14 and 17.

The study, conducted by phone interview in 2008, 2011, and 2014, examined features of sexual abuse cases among a U.S. sample of 13,052 children up to age 17.

Comprehensive data regarding how common it is for boys to sexually assault other boys in an athletics setting isn’t available, The Washington Post reported.

Alfred University researchers conducted the first national survey on high school hazing in 2000, but, as the internet didn’t exist as it does today, they conducted their survey by mail.

The researchers were able to access a database containing student addresses under the condition that none of the questions they were to ask involved sex or sexuality. So, they asked open-ended questions, which led to some shocking revelations, according to The Washington Post.

“They talked about being sexually assaulted at away matches, in the back of the bus and in locker rooms,” Norm Pollard, a lead researcher on the sur­vey, told The Washington Post. “It was devastating to read those reports from kids that were just trying to be part of a team or a club.”

However, the complications don’t end as these children grow into adulthood. There is a disconnect between the reality of boys and men suffering abuse and what people actually believe happens or can happen.

One in three respondents to a survey of 1,200 adults in 2018 revealed they wouldn’t quite believe a man who claimed to have been raped by a woman, according to The Washington Post. An additional 1 in 4 said they believed men actually enjoy being raped by a woman.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) didn’t recognize male rape until 2012, previously defining rape as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” 

The new definition greatly broadens the definition to recognize rape can take many forms: “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

Psychologist Richard Gartner, a specialist in treating male survivors of sexual abuse told The Washington Post that boys who do report their experiences need to hear that the situation doesn’t mean they aren’t loved, adding parents should tell their sons the same things they say to their daughters about having the right to control who has access to their bodies.

“The most important thing to say is, ‘I believe you, and it wasn’t your fault … and we still love you,’” Gartner said.

Filing a childhood sexual abuse lawsuit

A growing number of people are coming forward with allegations of childhood sexual abuse. People are sharing their experiences of assault within religious organizations, schools, sports teams, youth organizations, and more.

In recent years, some states have adjusted their sexual abuse laws to allow more time for survivors to come forward. Many states have adjusted their statute of limitations, and some have even instituted lookback windows to allow those with previously expired claims to pursue litigation.

In some states, such New York, the lookback window has already closed; however, there is still more time to file within the lookback window in others, such as California. More states may make similar changes to their statutes of limitations or provide their lookback windows in the future.

These state sexual abuse updates have sparked a new wave of litigation against countless organizations across the country, from religious institutions to schools and from sports teams to youth organizations. Survivors and their families are filing lawsuits not just against the perpetrators of abuse, but also against the organizations that may have ignored, allowed, facilitated, covered up, or otherwise failed to prevent the abuse.

If you have suffered from childhood sexual abuse, your suffering matters, even if that abuse occurred years or decades ago, if you never told anyone, or if no one believed you. You may be able to file a lawsuit under your state’s sexual abuse laws, many of which have been expanded in recent years to allow for claims over past abuse to be filed.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.