ABSTRACT
The lack of criminalisation of male rape and corresponding criminalisation of same-sex sexual conduct impact heavily on male survivors, exposing them to prosecution for their victimisation. In most countries where the All Survivors Project works, lawyers are not trained to challenge legal frameworks that make it impossible for male victims to seek redress through the courts. The argument that humiliation lies at the core of the use of sexual violence against men and boys has a good deal of credibility given it can work to feminise and degrade men. The interaction and intersection of power relations in creating vulnerabilities for sexual violence against men cannot be ignored, but international responses, including judicial approaches, have been patchy at best in acknowledging and addressing these vulnerabilities. In situations of conflict and conflict-related displacement ‘national protection mechanisms are frequently disrupted or inadequate to address acute protection risks’ such as sexual violence, thus exacerbating impunity further.
