World’s First Male Rape Centre

The world’s first male rape centre has been opened in Södersjukhuset hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. Like other rape centers (for female) this center will be providing free services round the clock throughout the year. This already operates a walk-in sexual assault clinic for females and treats approximately 600-700 every year. One of the members of the Stockholm Country’s Council said, “Now the same clinic can give good health care, with respect and professionalism, regardless of the patient’s sex or gender identity”.

In 2014, about 370 cases of sexual assault on males were reported across Sweden according to Swedish National Council for Crime Protection, as Daily Mail reported. A report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of 2010, approximately 1 of 5 females and 1 of 71 males in the United States are raped. However the actual count is estimated to be much higher by the experts. The Guardian put forth the estimate of 78,000 rape per year between 2009/10 and 2011/12 in England and Wales and out them 9,000 were on males.

But one question that must have come as a shock to most of the people was how come males are raped, when they are the one who wield power. However, people forget that rape by definition itself means a form of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse without the consent of the person. There have been cases of female on male and male on male sexual abuse. Though sexual molestation on male is not as regular phenomenon as on females because males are generally portrayed as strong, not as vulnerable sex, but that cannot be concluded as that males are safe and secure and such cases are non-existential.

Male rape is a taboo all over the world, including Sweden and even the hospital authorities are skeptical if they would be coming out in open or not. But such a step taken by Sweden government will not only allow males to come in open and talk of assault but will also generate awareness as sexual assault on males are under-acknowledged, and under-reported.

Lastly, something that each of us, the society forget is the fact that those bestial abusers must be shamed and put under scrutiny, not the rape “victims” (I prefer the term ‘survivors’, because by calling them ‘victims’ we are not acknowledging their courage that they showed when they went through physical rape by molesters and the psychological rape perpetrated by the society collectively).