What if men standing up in protest against rape of all people were a worldwide event?
TW for rape.
Perhaps for the first time, these men took a position in solidarity with their wives, mothers and daughters. What resonates for me is that these men were just the ordinary kind. Many had never taken such an action before, many probably harbor traditional views of women and girls and some have maybe at one time or another harassed a woman. But these ordinary, everyday men were moved by the atrocity of the rape and by the enormity of the misogyny to do something. For many, it probably was a visceral reaction and not a planned, well-thought out protest. They were not organizers, or “politically correct.” They were moved to act and they did so by just lying down and demanding action in a country that blames females for the sexual violence inflicted upon them and rarely prosecutes the abusers and often forces girls to marry the ones who raped them, a country where sexual trafficking of young boys and girls is off the charts.
Sexual violence, whether it happens to a female, male, adolescent or child of either gender still remains a secret hidden behind shame and stigma—not just in India and other countries around the world but within our own. Gloria Steinem said, “rape is about violence proving masculine superiority, playing out hostility to other men by invading the body of their female. . . raping men and boys to make them as inferior as females.” Sexual violence in all its forms thrives in rape culture where children and women are seen as objects, as less than and inferior—where societal institutions participate, support and propagate these views in both obvious and subtle ways.
What if concerned, ordinary men, stood up to these beliefs and systems? What if the image I can’t get out of my head of men standing up by lying down in the streets protesting rape, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, was not a rare photo but a prime event that spread from community to community, from country to country? How much quicker would we get to safer and saner and healthier society: the opposite of the rape culture that we suffer with now? What gains would/could be made if men really engaged as allies and leaders in ending sexual violence? What if photos of men from anywhere standing up and “upstanding” appeared everywhere? I can dream, can’t I?
–By Patti Giggans
Photo credit: Flickr / divinenephron
This piece leaves me rather suspicious from the First Image! “Only 6 % of reported rapes result in….” Result in What? That number 6 is strikingly placed and de-contextualised…. and linked to that Big R word. There has been much misuse, conflation and even Woozelling of stats and that 6% is highly suspect. It’s a figure that keeps on of being used to claim that only 6% of rapists are convicted – only 6% of prosecution result in conviction … and even that only 6% of reported rapes ever get logged and recorded. Everything is 6%? It’s so very odd… Read more »
“Gloria Steinem said, “rape is about violence proving masculine superiority, playing out hostility to other men by invading the body of their female. . . raping men and boys to make them as inferior as females.” Sexual violence in all its forms thrives in rape culture where children and women are seen as objects, as less than and inferior—where societal institutions participate, support and propagate these views in both obvious and subtle ways.” So women raping men is about proving masculine superiority? Adult men are raped by women because our culture sees women and children as objects, as less, as… Read more »
I am so tired of men claiming that men being raped by women is common…it’s not. A man being raped by another man is more common yet still pales in comparison to the amount of women who are raped. Are you really that blind to see that? Rape is a worldwide problem that predominantly effects women. What is so wrong about saying that?!? You cannot actually believe that men are raped by women at the same rate can you?
Well Trish – so many guys round here are tried of people not reading and not being aware… and peddling opinion over verified data and sources. . The whole issue of parity on rape was addressed last year – along with the political fudges that are so very clear in the CDC Report – The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) – published December 14, 2011. Not that long ago it was Biblical Writ that only women were subjected to Domestic abuse… and that house of cards has fallen under the weight of facts. The same applies to… Read more »
I’m tired of people being so ignorant of the facts that more men in the U.S outside of prison are raped by women via envelopment. As for the rest of the world envelopment-rape is rarely studied so comparing the level of male n female rape is dishonest, although currently my guess is that more women are raped worldwide but still a significant amount of men are raped,more of those by women in the west or 1st world countries. I have a feeling in more patriarchal countries the level of women raping might be much lower but I’m unsure of that,… Read more »
Oh Trisha – Spotted this and it may help you achieve some balance on issues, and move from a denial to equality position. Men’s Experiences with Partner Aggression Project – Professor Denise A. Hines, Ph.D. Clark University, Department of Psychology, Worcester MA. Intimate Terrorism by Women Towards Men: Does it Exist? This fact sheet and the others in this series summarize the results of a study that Drs. Denise A. Hines and Emily M. Douglas conducted in 2008 about men who sustained intimate partner violence (IPV) from their female partners and sought help. In this study, which was funded by… Read more »