The charity's poster has already caused controversy after appearing in London underground stations last week to coincide with the Six Nations tournament. Featuring a rugby ball pierced by a nail and the message "Real men get raped and talking about it takes real strength", the adverts will also feature on electronic billboards in March when England play their final home match against Ireland.
Michael May of Survivors UK, a charity that runs a helpline and counselling service for adult gay or heterosexual men who have experienced rape, said the campaign was a response to new Metropolitan Police figures which reveal that on average, in London, a man is the victim of a sexual crime every hour.The government estimates that 11% of male victims report being attacked. Therefore, May believes, the 945 assaults recorded by the Met in 2009-10 suggest a true figure closer to 8,500 in the capital.
"The alpha-male imagery of rugby is clearly suited to challenging the assumptions about male rape," May said. "A victim is just as likely to be a rugby player as a City banker or a gang member. And we hope that by challenging our innate assumptions about the identity of male victims, we can make it even fractionally easier for a male rape victim to ask for help. The posters are proving a bit controversial, but we need to get more men coming forward with their experiences and lose the taboos that hold them back from seeking help."
3 comments:
When you laugh at this, realize you're afraid it might be real, because it is, and in this moment laughter is your only defense mechanism against the harsh reality.
Yes, it happens. It's unfortunate men do not always reach out for help, which will give them a chance to heal.
No, I am afraid the reason people might laugh at this is because the wording is terrible and suggests that to be a real man, you need to get raped, as opposed to what I am sure it is trying to say, that men sometimes get raped as well as women.
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