Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Against Men is a Systemic, Global Crisis
Contrary to prevalent narratives that focus exclusively on women and girls, sexual violence in conflict settings significantly impacts men and boys. Research across multiple countries reveals widespread sexual violence against males, with underreporting rates as high as 90-95%, driven by deep-rooted social stigma and cultural norms around masculinity.
Psychological and Social Consequences Extend Beyond Individual Trauma
Male survivors of GBV experience psychological harm, including high rates of PTSD, depression, and suicide attempts, which cascade into broader social impacts. The trauma can lead to a “destruction of gender identity”, social withdrawal, family conflict, and a risk of becoming perpetrators of violence themselves, creating intergenerational cycles of harm.
Legal and Humanitarian Systems Systematically Exclude Male Survivors
Existing legal frameworks, UN resolutions, and humanitarian responses have historically been designed with an exclusive focus on female victims. National laws in many countries still do not recognize male rape, and humanitarian services are often ill-equipped to support male survivors, resulting in a critical gap in protection, medical care, and psychological support.
Economic and Community Impact Is Profound and Long-Lasting
Sexual violence against men in conflict settings has far-reaching consequences beyond individual suffering, including economic destabilization, loss of livelihood, and erosion of community cohesion. Survivors often lose their ability to work or study, which can push entire families into poverty and undermine local economic resilience.
Intersecting Barriers Perpetuate Invisibility
Multiple interconnected factors contribute to the systematic erasure of male survivors, including cultural norms of masculinity, fear of stigmatization, lack of appropriate research methodologies, confirmation bias in data collection, and institutional reluctance to acknowledge male vulnerability. These barriers create a self-reinforcing cycle of invisibility and non-recognition.
Critical Data Gaps Fundamentally Undermine Humanitarian Response
The profound lack of systematic, disaggregated data on male survivors of gender-based violence creates a blind spot in humanitarian programming. Current data collection mechanisms are inherently biased, with most assessments failing to collect, analyze, or even acknowledge data on male survivors, leading to a self-perpetuating cycle where the absence of data is interpreted as an absence of need. This systematic exclusion prevents the development of targeted interventions, undermines the principle of impartiality in humanitarian aid, and leaves male survivors effectively invisible in protection strategies, needs assessments, funding allocations, and response planning. The GANNET dataset compiles information on gender-based violence (GBV) incidents and trends from a wide range of humanitarian reporting sources throughout 2024. The majority of extracted entries originate from major humanitarian and news platforms, with Reliefweb accounting for nearly 74% of all records. Other significant sources include Allafrica, Al-Jazeera, Human Rights Watch, United Nations, amongst others. Users should be aware of inherent limitations in country coverage and the potential underrepresentation of GBV affecting women and girls due to methodological constraints.
Emerging Institutional Awareness Offers Hope for Change
Recent years have seen a gradual shift in humanitarian and policy circles, with UN agencies, NGOs, and coordination bodies beginning to develop guidance, toolkits, and working groups specifically addressing sexual violence against men and boys. These emerging efforts, while still limited, represent a critical first step towards more comprehensive and inclusive humanitarian responses.
Comprehensive, Trauma-Informed Approaches Are Urgently Needed
Addressing GBV against men requires holistic, intersectional strategies that go beyond traditional service provision. This includes developing gender-sensitive monitoring approaches, creating safe and confidential reporting mechanisms, training service providers, challenging cultural norms, and integrating male survivors' experiences into broader protection and recovery frameworks.
