India’s silence on Sexual Assault of Men and Boys

 Whenever we talk about sexual assault, the only thought that comes to our mind is that it only happens to a woman. But in today’s era, we should not forget the fact that sexual assault can happen to other genders too. When we compare the amount of information available on the internet, we will find that most of the information on this topic is related to sexual assault of women. This is because it is difficult to gather information on the experiences of men who have faced sexual assault at some point in their lives. There could only be one possible reason for this lack of information and that is that the world has still not accepted that something like this can happen to men too and so, men don’t come out and speak up against such things due to the fear of facing societal backlash. This study addresses the sexual assault of men and boys and the lack of awareness regarding the same. The data collected is a questionnaire answered by 115 people of different age groups and from various professions. Most of them believe that men and boys can in fact be sexually assaulted and that women can also be the perpetrators of sexual crimes while there were a few people with a belief that men cannot be sexually assaulted and women cannot sexually assault anyone.

 “Mard ko kabhi dard nahi hota”

The Indian upbringing of a man has created a stereotype that a man can never feel pain, and if he does, he is not a man. The same belief has led to people believing that a man cannot be raped or sexually assaulted because men are privileged to be men in a patriarchal society.

Men are often or always believed to be the perpetrators of sexual assault and not the victim, whereas, in the case of women, it is believed that women can only be victims and never the perpetrators. This belief has been developed since time immemorial because in most or all the cases that come into light, it is a man who assaulted a woman and never the opposite. When asked if a man can be sexually assaulted, most of the people answer “No” because of the belief that a man can never be raped or sexually assaulted and that the topic in itself is a ridiculous one. 

Rape or sexual assault of men and boys have been kept a “Dark Secret” for so long that now the society is either oblivious to this or completely turns a blind eye towards such incidents if they ever come out of the shadow. The social pressure, fear of being disbelieved and social backlash stop the male victims of sexual assault from opening up to anyone about these difficult and painful incidents, encouraging the perpetrators to go on hunting their prey. 

When we compare the amount of information available on the internet, we will find that most of the information on this topic is related to sexual assault of women. This is because it is difficult to gather information on the experiences of men who have faced sexual assault at some point in their lives. If we search ‘Rape in India’ on Wikipedia, the first line itself talks only about the rape of women. It says, “Rape is the fourth most common crime against women in India.” It is important to address the issue such as rape, but we also need to know that rape and sexual assault is a gender-neutral crime and happens to men too. Focusing merely on the problems faced by one gender and neglecting the problems of the other is not fair or just in any way. It is unjust and unfair for the males to suffer because of a false belief that they cannot be sexually harassed.

Sexual assault of men and boys is a frequently happening crime as any other crime which needs the attention of people and law makers. While some people may agree that rape of men happen in prisons, most do not even care to think that sexual assault against men and boys happen in a much broader way than they think or care to know. The Judgment by the Supreme Court that decriminalized the consensual sexual relations between adults of the same gender, which was a crime under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, is still looked down upon by many people in India who still consider homosexuality a taboo and a disease which means that the homosexuals still have a long road to travel in order to be empowered and given their rights. Therefore, in a country like India, where two years back, people were not even ready to accept homosexuality as a natural phenomenon and believed it to be a taboo, the idea of a male member of the society being raped, by any gender, still has a long way to go before it gets recognized by the people.

Conclusion

Just because men are expected to be tough and strong, doesn’t mean that they don’t face challenges that women face in their daily lives. While we talk about the rights of women, we shouldn’t ignore the rights of men. The goal is to empower the women, not neglect the other gender in order to uplift the other. Focusing only on one gender is injustice, unfair and violative of the fundamental rights of people under Article 14 and 15 of the Constitution of India.

According to recent studies, it is evident that a higher percentage of people believe that men and boys are also prone to sexual assault and are not immune to it, and that the perpetrator of sexual assault are not always only men, it can be other genders too. There are also people who still are not aware that rape and sexual assault of men and boys is not a myth but a reality. 

Movies and TV serials also play a huge role in making these stereotypes and normalizing sexual assault of men that people do not recognize this as sexual assault anymore. A woman undressing in front of man, commenting on his sex organ, touching him inappropriately, woman having forced sex with a man, etc are shown in the movies and serials as if these are normal things that a man would prefer, whereas, in reality, these things do make men uncomfortable and count as sexual assault. These things are normalized to such an extent that if a man faces such incidents and complains, he is told to enjoy it and gain pleasure from it. He is made fun of for complaining about getting a woman’s attention and her being sexual with him. Item songs are another example. 

It is not debated that sexual assault and rape of men and boys exist. But there is nothing being done to find a solution as to how to stop it from further happening. The first thing that could be done is creating awareness that men and boys are raped and sexually assaulted too and that it is not a myth. Another way is to make gender-neutral laws which would protect the men and boys from sexual assault and rape and the stereotype that rape is patriarchal and can happen only to women and girls because men are strong and cannot be victims of such crimes. The toxic mentality of the society needs to be changed and the truth should be revealed to everyone and the sooner it is done, the better.