The Forgotten Victims of Rape by Bernadeth Roma

By Bernadeth Roma | For Ms. Walling's BlogSpot | Posted on January 16th, 2020

Photo by Jenni Heller

A male teen was once sentenced to a 'straight tour' in B.C. A 'straight tour' is a form of punishment where teens are forced to visit a local prison to prevent them from committing future crimes. 

The teen, under the initials B.E.S, toured around the Oakalla prison in Burnaby, B.C. until he was suddenly grabbed by a prison guard and taken to a cell where a group of inmates were waiting. According to B.E.S, the inmates forced him into performing oral sex and took turns raping him as the prison guard stood by, laughing. After they assaulted him, the guard pushed him onto a wall and told him, "That's what happens to little fuckers like you.". 

This incident occurred four decades ago. B.E.S, who is now 55, recently testified for the assault in 2018. 

"Adolescents are most often targeted for male sexual abuse, where men are often the perpetrators in the large majority of sexual assault cases involving male victims."

- Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

Media coverage for male victims is unlikely. When it comes to cases of sexual assault, the media tends to narrow its scope towards female victims which further uplifts the gender bias in media attention for cases involving sexual violence. Lack of exposure for male victims roots in the fact that hardly male survivors report their trauma. It's no secret that the topic of rape is coated with a stigma. However, according to the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, if rates of reports from female victims are low, such rates are even lower for men. This is particularly due to society's values of invulnerability and emotional suppression burdened on men. As such, male victims are often discouraged from reporting such assaults as they're afraid to be perceived as weak or 'gay'. It paints the objective that male victims are responsible for their assault as they weren't manly or strong enough to prevent it. Sound familiar? If school dress codes (being more targeted towards women) are considered to be an idea that perpetuates rape culture, then so does toxic masculinity. 

B.E.S never told anyone about the assault that left him bleeding and in pain for a week. Since the incident, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorder, major depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and an addiction to cocaine. Like female victims, male survivors respond to their assaults in silence and isolation, rarely turning to legal, medical, and mental aid. Not only is it because of the minimal attention drawn to male victims, but it's also because of the overwhelming fear they have of losing a sense of manliness. However, such a notion wouldn't be so prevalent if the promoted masculine identity wasn't so amplified in society, placing a burden on men to act strong and emotionless. By disallowing vulnerability, the societal construction of gender roles has played a significant part in how sexual assaults are experienced. Nevertheless, it produces the same psychological impact on the victims regardless of gender which is why we need to direct our attention towards the perpetrators, and less on the victims themselves. 

MacDougall, the alleged prison guard who encouraged assault on B.E.S, wasn't punished for his crimes of sexual abuse until 2010, where a former inmate of the Oakalla prison filed a lawsuit against him and the provincial government. The provincial government awarded compensation to the victims while MacDougall served three years and seven months behind bars. Progress in improving circumstances for victims is slow, but the topic of rape culture (the concept of normalizing rape and shifting the blame on victims) has gotten more attention than it ever received. Ironically enough, rape culture, originally built on notions of power and control of men, is placing a heavier burden on men themselves. Thus, we need to recognize that men can be victims of rape, and women can be perpetrators of it without bias. This can be done by promoting gender equality and encouraging freedom of identity without fear of being judged by "traditional" norms. As such, we must conform to the idea that gender equality doesn't just translate empowerment for women, but empowerment for all.

Works Cited  

Heller, Jenni. Photograph of 'Stop Toxic Masculinity'. Twenty20, n.p., n.d., https://www.twenty20.com/photos/61961709.

Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services. “Men and Sexual Assault: AASAS.” ASAS,  aasas.ca/support-and-information/men-and-sexual-assault/. Web. 16 Jan. 2020.

Lindsay, Bethany. “Man raped by inmates during 'scared straight' prison tour awarded $175K from B.C.” CBC. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 5 Dec. 2018. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/prison-assault-award-1.4934363. Web. 16 Jan. 2020.

CBC News. “Ex-inmate launches suit against B.C., guard.” CBC. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 10 Aug. 2010. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ex-inmate-launches-suit-against-b-c-guard-1.944889. Web. 16 Jan. 2020.