Sexual Relationships 
Sexual Health 
A while ago I posted a take on the Male version of being sexually harassed/abused. I kinda glossed over some of these facts but felt a need to explain it a bit better for everyone. Still even writing at my best I can't say it any better than the website 1 in 6 did. So if you want to know more and who to contact in your country about being sexually abused, please check that site out. (It helps, believe me.)
Researchers have found that 1 in 6 men have experienced abusive sexual experiences before age 18. And this is probably a low estimate, since it doesn’t include non-contact experiences, which can also have lasting negative effects.
If you’ve had such an experience, or think you might have, you are not alone.
If you wonder whether such an experience may be connected to some difficulties or challenges in your life now, you are not alone.
Whoever you are, maybe you’re thinking something like, “1 in 6?! Come on, how can that be?” or even “That can’t be true!” Again, if so, you’re not alone. Those are common responses to this statistic, which many people find hard to believe – including men who’ve had such experiences themselves.
What the research tells us:
-A 2005 study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, on San Diego Kaiser Permanente HMO members, reported that 16% of males were sexually abused by the age of 18.
-A 2003 national study of U.S. adults reported that 14.2% of men were sexually abused before the age of 18.
-A 1998 study reviewing research on male childhood sexual abuse concluded that the problems is “common, under-reported, under-recognized, and under-treated.”
-A 1996 study of male university students in the Boston area reported that 18% of men were sexually abused before the age of 16.
-A 1990 national study of U.S. adults reported that 16% of men were sexually abused before the age of 18.
Why these statistics are probably underestimates:
-Males who have such experiences are less likely to disclose them than are females.
-Only 16% of men with documented histories of sexual abuse (by social service agencies, which means it was very serious) considered themselves to have been sexually abused, compared to 64% of women with documented histories in the same study.
Some key facts to remember:
-Boys and men can be sexually used or abused, and it has nothing to do with how masculine they are.
-If a boy liked the attention he was getting, or got sexually aroused during abuse, or even sometimes wanted the attention or sexual contact, this does not mean he wanted or liked being manipulated or abused, or that any part of what happened, in any way, was his responsibility or fault.
-Sexual abuse harms boys and girls in ways that are similar and different, but equally harmful.
-Boys can be sexually abused by both straight and gay men and women. Sexual abuse is the result of abusive behavior that takes advantage of a child’s vulnerability and is in no way related to the sexual orientation of the abusive person.
-Whether he is gay, straight or bisexual, a boy’s sexual orientation is neither the cause nor the result of sexual abuse. By focusing on the abusive nature of sexual abuse rather than the sexual aspects of the interaction, it becomes easier to understand that sexual abuse has nothing to do with a boy’s sexual orientation.
-Girls and women can sexually abuse boys. The boys are not “lucky,” but exploited and harmed.
-Most boys who are sexually abused will not go on to sexually abuse others.
In summary, the 1 in 6 statistic is supported by solid scientific research, including a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and is likely an underestimate of the actual prevalence. Furthermore, this widespread problem contributes to mental health, personal and work difficulties of many men.
Yet few people are aware that there are just as many men who experienced sexual abuse as children as there are men who develop prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men and one of the leading causes of cancer death among men. And few know that the 21 million men with histories of childhood sexual abuse are more than 4 times the number with heart disease, the leading cause of death among men. Please consider helping to educate others by letting them know about this page, www.1in6.org/thestatistic.
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