Sexual Torture of Men in Croatia and Other Conflict Situations: An Open Secret

Abstract

Sexual torture constitutes any act of sexual violence which qualifies as torture. Public awareness of the widespread use of sexual torture as a weapon of war greatly increased after the war in the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. Sexual torture has serious mental, physical and sexual health consequences. Attention to date has focused more on the sexual torture of women than of men, partly due to gender stereotypes. This paper describes the circumstances in which sexual torture occurs, its causes and consequences, and the development of international law addressing it. It presents data from a study in 2000 in Croatia, where the number of men who were sexually tortured appears to have been substantial. Based on in-depth interviews with 16 health professionals and data from the medical records of three centres providing care to refugees and victims of torture, the study found evidence of rape and other forced sexual acts, full or partial castration, genital beatings and electroshock. Few men admit being sexually tortured or seek help, and professionals may fail to recognise cases. Few perpetrators have been prosecuted, mainly due to lack of political will. The silence that envelopes sexual torture of men in the aftermath of the war in Croatia stands in strange contrast to the public nature of the crimes themselves.

Promoting male refugees’ mental health after they have been granted leave to remain (refugee status)

“…Pre-migratory stress in refugee women is often associated with being left without the protection of their family members and community, leaving them at great risk of violence (Mezey and Thachil, 2010). In addition, refugee women might be victims of gender-based violence, such as genocidal rape, rape in border crossings as a price passage, (Mezey and Thachil, 2010), sexual torture, genital mutilation, forced marriages, and forced prostitution (Heise, Ellsberg, & Goettmoeller, 1999;Oosterhoff, Zwanikken, & Ketting, 2004). Post migratory stress in refugee women is often associated with their over reliance on men (e.g., husbands, fathers and brothers) to obtain their status (Mezey and Thachil, 2010).…”

Male Directed Sexual Violence in Conflict: A Challenge for Gender Studies

“…Common themes that emerge in the research literature include the following: identification of under-reporting as a key element in the lack of recognition of MDSV; lack of consensus regarding the causes of MDSV; an awareness of the role of language in perpetuating misunderstandings surrounding these issues, particularly through the linguistic sleight of hand by which "woman" or "women" becomes equated with "gender," "victim" becomes identified with "female," and "perpetrator" becomes equated with "male. " Oosterhoff, Zwanikken, and Ketting (2004) provide extensive empirical data relating to extensive male directed CRSV in Croatia during the wars following the break-up of Yugoslavia during the 1990's. In fact, Stemple (2009, p. 614) reports that in one assessment of a concentration camp in Sarajevo Canton, during the Balkan conflicts of the early 1990's, 80% of the 6,000 male prisoners reported having been raped in detention.…”

Social Constructions of Masculinity and Male Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence: an Analytical Review

“…Maledirected sexual violence is frequently linked to targeted groups of men, including those who are recruited into militia, detained, or tortured by an armed group. In these situations, sexual violence is used to enhance political or military aims through humiliation, intimidation, displacing populations, seeking to control particular groups, or eliciting information from witnesses (Oosterhoff, Zwanikken, & Ketting, 2004). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines sexual violence as "any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic women's sexuality, using coercion, threats of harm or physical force, by any person regardless of relationship to the victim, in any setting" (2003, pg.…”