Bulletin Board v149

Boy Scouts Accused of Cover Up — An attorney for the Boys Scouts of America and the Los Padres Council in Santa Barbara argued against a tentative ruling that could force the release of documents related to sexual abuse within the BSA. The ruling would shed light on accusations that the Boy Scouts never reported to police. Attorney Tim Hale says that was almost the case back in 2007. That’s when Hale says the mother of a 13-year-old scout told a Boy Scout executive that her son said he had been sexually molested by troop leader Al Stein at a Scout Christmas tree lot in Goleta.

The day my wife beat me up because she hated my haircut — The first time my ex-wife’s temper turned from vicious insults into violence was after I’d had a haircut she didn’t like. She dragged me down the hall by my hair, punching the back of my neck. Soon after, she repeatedly hit me on the head with a telephone receiver after she didn’t approve of the way I’d spoken to my mum. And, most absurdly, she set about my shins with a child’s plastic golf club after I’d hung my underwear out to dry without folding it the right way. Did I say anything to anyone? Or leave her? No, I didn’t. For, like thousands of other male victims of domestic violence, I was mortally ashamed of what was happening to me, convinced if only I was a better husband, these attacks would stop.

Hamid Karzai condemns alleged Afghan child abuse by British soldiers — The soldiers, reportedly a sergeant and a private from the Mercian Battle Group, were arrested over claims they had made films as they encouraged a boy and a girl to touch them through their clothing, and showed the videos to their comrades. An investigation has been launched by the Royal Military Police. The allegations were made less than a week after film emerged of United States Marines urinating on the bodies of Taliban fighters killed in battle. Mr Karzai’s office said: “The government of Afghanistan is immensely disgusted by the rise in recent incidents of immoral nature among foreign soldiers that clearly undermine public confidence and the Afghan people’s co-operation with foreign troops.”

Haverstraw woman, 33, accused of sex with teen — A 33-year-old dental assistant has been charged with having sexual intercourse four times with a 15-year-old boy at her village apartment since early January, police said Friday. Police arrested Viviana Urbino on Wednesday following an investigation based upon a complaint filed by the boy’s mother. Lt. Martin Lund said Friday that the investigation found Urbino met the boy this month for the first time during a social function in the village.

Mother raped own daughter for ‘sex education’ — A mother of four who raped her 11-year-old daughter and filmed it as a form of “sex education” has been jailed for four years in Australia. The 37-year-old woman from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast made three films using her mobile phone showing her raping her youngest child and exposed her to other sexual activity “in response to repeated questions,” The Sunshine Daily reported. Judge John Robertson said sexual offenses against children by their own mothers were “rare,” describing the relationship between mother and child as “seminal in our society.” 

Quiz: How did Manboobz’s feminist commenters respond to a man’s account of rape?

Here is a little one-question quiz to see how much you know about the Manboobz blog:

QUESTION ONE: A man describes being raped by a woman when he was 13-years-old. Do the Manboobz regulars:

a) Respond with sympathy and support

b) Attack him and accuse him of lying about his abuse, his life experiences, and his family, then return to posting about how there is no gray area when it comes to rape and intoxication

BONUS QUESTION: True or False: Someone on Manboobz argues that no feminists ever downplay, dismiss, ignore, or marginalize male victims, and that only feminists do anything to help male victims. This same person writes this after accusing a male victim of lying about his past. 

War, rape, and the invisible victims

Originally posted on July 17, 2011

Every month there is a report, essay, or article about how women are raped in war-torn countries, yet few of those reports mention anything about male victims. Male victimization remains a taboo subject in most countries, but more so in many Africa countries, particularly those engaged in war. Many of those cultures place such limits on men that male victims of rape cannot come forward for fear of losing their friends and family. Often the support services that help women will not help men. Should any men come forward, they also risk retaliation from the authorities, especially if the men are refugees.

All of this leads to a woeful lack of accurate data about the frequency of rape against men. It is unfathomable to think that any army that would torture and brutalize a populace would abstain from sexually assaulting men. Regardless of the social stigmas, in war no act of violence is ever used just against one group. There are thousands of boys and men who have been raped and forced to keep it secret because of social stigmas and misandrist policies that deny male victimization.

However, photographer and writer Will Storr provides a glimpse in the horrors that many men face in war-torn countries in Africa. He produced an audio slideshow recounting the stories of several men. He also wrote an article:

One of the few academics to have looked into the issue in any detail is Lara Stemple, of the University of California’s Health and Human Rights Law Project. Her study Male Rape and Human Rights notes incidents of male sexual violence as a weapon of wartime or political aggression in countries such as Chile, Greece, Croatia, Iran, Kuwait, the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia. Twenty-one per cent of Sri Lankan males who were seen at a London torture treatment centre reported sexual abuse while in detention. In El Salvador, 76% of male political prisoners surveyed in the 1980s described at least one incidence of sexual torture. A study of 6,000 concentration-camp inmates in Sarajevo found that 80% of men reported having been raped.

I’ve come to Kampala to hear the stories of the few brave men who have agreed to speak to me: a rare opportunity to find out about a controversial and deeply taboo issue. In Uganda, survivors are at risk of arrest by police, as they are likely to assume that they’re gay – a crime in this country and in 38 of the 53 African nations. They will probably be ostracised by friends, rejected by family and turned away by the UN and the myriad international NGOs that are equipped, trained and ready to help women. They are wounded, isolated and in danger. In the words of Owiny: “They are despised.”

Because there has been so little research into the rape of men during war, it’s not possible to say with any certainty why it happens or even how common it is – although a rare 2010 survey, published in theJournal of the American Medical Association, found that 22% of men and 30% of women in Eastern Congo reported conflict-related sexual violence. As for Atim, she says: “Our staff are overwhelmed by the cases we’ve got, but in terms of actual numbers? This is the tip of the iceberg.”

Storr goes on to tell Jean Paul’s story. Jean Paul’s father was accused of aiding the enemy and was killed. Jean Paul ran, but was caught by the army. He was raped nearly a dozen times the first night and every night, along with several other men, for over a week. He managed to hide one day under the roots of a tree, and remained there until the searchers gave up. Jean Paul was so violently raped that even with medical treatment he still bleeds when he walks.

That is the reality of rape against men and boys. People avoid talking about what boys and men actually go through. No one wants to hear it and few would believe it, yet Storr gives an account of the kind of rape men and boys face endure. Fair warning, it is graphic: 

Woman gets two years for kidnapping and sexually assaulting two boys

I often write about the double standard that benefits female rapists. When women are charged and tried for sexual violence, they often receive a fraction of the sentence that a man would. In many cases, prosecutors offer women plea deals that greatly reduce the charges, sometimes taking what would have resulted in a decades-long sentence down to a few years or even probation. A recent case perfectly demonstrates this.

In 2010, Misty Talley Smith locked two boys who were friends of her son in her son’s room. When the boys’ parents came looking for them, Smith told them the boys were not there. The boys managed to escape and were found by the police. According to a report:

It was alleged that on various occasions for about a month or two, Smith had supplied the boys with marijuana and pills. Court papers explained that she bound their hands with duct tape and had sexual contact, short of intercourse with them. It was also alleged that she had taken inappropriate photos of herself with one of the boy’s camera, and had touched the boys inappropriately beneath a blanket.

As a result, the prosecutors charged Smith with thirteen criminal charges, including two counts of delivery of drugs to minors, one of furnishing alcohol to a minor, two of lewd and lascivious conduct, one of simple assault, aggravated sexual assault, and unlawful restraint. However, the prosecutors accepted a plea deal that reduced Smith’s charges down to  two counts of sexual assault without consent.

So despite that this woman tied the boys up, sexually assaulted them (presumably physical and/or oral contact), and lied about the boys’ whereabouts, the state dropped all the serious charges against her.  Smith received three years to life, but with time served, she will actually only spend about two years in jail before being placed on furlough.

Defense lawyer Elizabeth Hibbitts argued that her client suffered from mental deficiencies stemming from fetal alcohol syndrome: 

Being a Man: Getting the ‘Man’ Out

Originally posted on March 3, 2009

One of the things a lot of young men and boys learn as they approach adulthood is that being a man is not really a positive thing. Certainly some people find value in men, especially when someone needs to be saved or tough physical labor needs to be done. Men are valued when they can provide for others, typically women, financially. Men have value when they can entertain through sports, music, acting or other popular arts.

However, in general there is nothing about being a man that is in and of itself good. There are no billboards or TV spots glorifying manhood. There are no ads stating how men inherently have certain good qualities. There are very few fund-raising events done just for the sake of helping men. Instead, boys and young men grow up hearing generally negative things about men, from deadbeat fathers to abusive husbands. They are also bombarded with TV shows, films and commercials portraying men as hapless, barely functioning, uncaring buffoons

So it is refreshing when a group, a college men’s group no less, makes an effort to raise awareness about the needs of underprivileged young men in their community. Of course, not everyone views such an effort as worthwhile, especially not when the word “man” is part of it. Jennifer Luo from Rice University paints a much bleaker picture:

Once Bitten

While male survivors of sexual violence face a host of stigmas, but none are as insidious as the “Vampire Syndrome.” This stigma claims that once abused, a boy or man will become an abuser, like how a person bitten by a vampire becomes one himself.

The “Vampire Syndrome” plays out in a myriad of ways. A person might warn a young man interested in working with kids to stay away because he is a “threat.” A therapist might gear their services for male victims towards violence prevention rather than support. A political activist group might put out advertisements featuring a little boy and the tag line “When I grow up, I will beat my wife.”

Male victims already face social stigmas about their masculinity, sexuality, and their very existence. The “Vampire Syndrome” just adds to their problems. As Dr. Richard Gartner explained in an interview: 

The problem with the slap on the wrist

In 2008, Amber Roderick and two twelve-year-old girls cornered two boys in a park. The girls kidnapped the nine and ten-year-old boys, beat them, shoved a stick down one of the boy’s throats, and forced the boys to perform oral sex on each other. For this, Amber received two years in a juvenile facility. Shortly after her release she did this:

Amber Roderick, 19, lured the 16-year-old girl to a party after meeting her in the street then joined two men in a horrific rape attack.

The victim was plied with drugs and alcohol at the home of one of the men who subsequently raped her in the bathroom. A judge heard that she was held at knifepoint during at least one of the rapes.

Joseph Lawrence, 29, brandished the blade before forcing himself on the girl and afterwards threatened to stab her in the face if she told anyone what had happened.

The court heard Roderick sexually assaulted the girl while rubbing dog shampoo over herself and also encouraged 26-year-old Patrick Maughan to abuse the innocent victim.

The teenager eventually managed to flee and the trio were arrested while still drunk from the party, but the court heard how even in police cells Roderick was heard threatening to kill her victim.

This is the problem with slaps on the wrists, particularly for female offenders.