Speaking of Stigma and the Silence of Shame

Abstract

This study addresses male sexual victimization as that which is both invisible and incomprehensible. Forensic interviews with young men following reports of suspected sexual assault reveal patterns of heteronormative scripts appropriated to make sense of sexual victimization. These scripts show that victimhood is largely incompatible with dominant notions of masculinity. Sexual coercion and assault embodied threat to boys' (hetero)gendered selves, as they described feelings of shame and embarrassment, disempowerment, and emasculation. These masks of masculinity create barriers to disclosure and help to explain the serious underreporting of male sexual victimization. Questions of coercion and consent are addressed, as it relates to matters of legitimacy, sexuality, and power. With few exceptions, boys' constructions of sexual violence have received little attention. This study adds the voices of young men to the developing empirical and theoretical research on male victims of sexual assault.

Our safety counts: Children and young people’s perceptions of safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns

“…When they perceive that others will consider the encounter as trivial or as the young person's fault, children and young people are less likely to share the experience with others or seek support (Schönbucher, Maier, Mohler-Kuo, Schnyder, & Landolt, 2012). Fear of negative reactions from others, including doubt, disbelief or indifference (Hlavka, 2016), are also powerful disincentives, as are fears of stigmatisation, breaches of confidentiality and fears of being seen as 'attention-seeking' (Rowe et al, 2014). Studies have also shown that children and young people are less likely to disclose to adults and institutions they perceive are incompetent, and when they have little faith that the adults or institutions can adequately respond or protect them (Ungar et al, 2009).…”

Rape in the Nordic Countries

“…But the items we have included all address the experience of being penetrated, while the penal code also covers incidents of forcing someone to penetrate someone else, including the assailant. 1 In the literature, this type of sexual assault is labelled 'made to penetrate', 'forced to penetrate' and 'compelled penetration' (Hlavka, 2017;Stemple & Meyer, 2014;Weiss, 2010). None of the Norwegian prevalence studies have included questions about 'forced-to-penetrate' rapes, so the prevalence is unknown.…”

Regulating Bodies: Children and Sexual Violence

“…Research shows that gendered and heteronormative discourses structure how individuals understand their social worlds, including the experience of sexual violence (Hlavka, 2014(Hlavka, , 2017Nelson & Oliver, 1998;Phillips, 2000). My work on young women's descriptions of sexual assault and harassment demonstrates how heterogendered and heteronormative scripts are appropriated to account for violence.…”

“…Rather than review the research on children and sexual violence, I argue that it is both possible and critical to open spaces for young people to speak about their experiences of sexual violence, thereby shifting from research on children and that speaks for children, toward research with children. I also join the growing chorus of sociologists and anthropologists who have recently drawn attention to the disciplinary silences on sexual violence (Armstrong, Gleckman-Krut, & Johnson, 2018;Baxi, 2014) and specifically to the omission of children and youth (e.g., Hlavka, 2010Hlavka, , 2014Hlavka, , 2017Korbin, 2003;A. J. Powell, Hlavka, & Mulla, 2017;Shanahan, 2007;Whittier, 2016).…”