A new report from Reform – Resource Centre for Men, which was presented this week, shows that one out of ten boys and men have been exposed to sexual assault. This is twice as many as previously thought.
According to the Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombudsman (LDO), are boys and men who are exposed to sexual abuse often not seen, heard or followed up and therefore being discriminated. LDO believes there is a need for more national education campaigns that deal with sexual abuse of boys and men.
“We see that it takes on average 17 years before boys and men talk about what happened to them. Prejudices, attitudes and inadequate knowledge makes that they are not getting the help they need”, says Hanne Bjurstrøm from LDO.
The report shows that nearly a quarter of the abused boys under 13 stated that their perpetrator was a girl or woman who was more than five years older than them. “Sibling assault and abuse from peers is something we must focus on more. It is necessary to identify children and young people with sexually harmful behavior”, says Bjurstrøm.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
