Male sexual assault victims are less likely to report the crime, new study finds

Study findings show that the average age of the males was 28, though there were almost 40 attendees between the ages of 14 and 16.

Male victims of sexual violence are significantly more likely than female victims to be assaulted by multiple assailants, according to the first study of its kind in Ireland.

Male victims are also far less likely to report the crime to gardaí than female victims, which, authors say, could be the result of "stigma and rape myths".

A national study, conducted in the six Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs), documented a 24% increase in male attendances at the units over the last six years, from 66 in 2017 to 82 in 2022.

The research said that of the 5,387 people who disclosed sexual assault to the units between 2017 and 2022, 381 (7%) were male.

SATUs — located in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Galway, Mullingar and Donegal — provide medical, psychological, and emotional support to people over the age of 14 and conduct forensic examinations which may aid criminal investigations. The units operate around the clock, every day of the week.

Study findings show that the average age of the males was 28, though there were almost 40 attendees between the ages of 14 and 16.

It found that nine out of 10 perpetrators were male and that almost a quarter of the victims sustained injuries — either to their bodies or genitals — in the assaults.

The research identified “significant differences” between male and female attendees:

• 14% of males (53 people) reported multiple assailants, compared to 7% of females (353 people);
• 61% of males reported the crime to gardaí, compared to 66% of females;
• 27% of males were assaulted in the home of the assailant, compared to 22.5% of females;
• 15% of males were assaulted in their own home, compared to 22% of females;
• 0.4% of males were assaulted by an intimate partner, compared to 6% of females;
• 9% of males were assaulted by a person in authority, compared to 1.6% of females.

The study said the much higher rate of multiple perpetrators among males could be due to a number of factors, with previous research suggesting a greater degree of strength may be required to subdue a male and/or males being subjected to a higher incidence of ‘punishment’ rapes.

Authors also noted a significant difference between the genders in terms of consumption of alcohol, with 60% of male attendees saying they drank within 24 hours of the assault, compared to 72% of females.

But there was a higher rate of illicit drug consumption among males — 20.5% compared to 15.6% respectively.

The research, published in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, was conducted by staff from SATU Rotunda, the Royal College of Surgeons, and University of Galway.

The authors said their study was the first published one of its kind in Ireland and, to their knowledge, the largest one published internationally.

They said their findings reinforces previous research showing that male victims of sexual violence were less likely to report the crime than females.

It said this may be because of “stigma associated with male sexual assault and the (real or imagined) lack of appropriate supports".

It said there was a need to raise awareness to confront “rape myths” that portrays females as victims of sexual assault and males as the offenders.