Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Against Men in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Lifting the Veil of Secrecy Around a Controversial and Taboo Subject.

Abstract

Although scholars, researchers, and international media have recognized the existence of male victims, men and boy victims of sexual violence are still considered invisible victims. Research shows that male victims’ suffering is under-reported, underrecognized, and under-punished (Gorris 2015; Touquet & Gorris, 2016). The existing division between the disproportionate majority (women and girls) and invisible victims (men and boys) are mainly based on their gender identity and leads to structural discrimination against male victims of conflict related ‘gender-based violence’ (Gorris, 2015). The discrepancies in understanding male victims’ experience in-depth, including the different types of sexual violence that men are victims of, the impact of their victimization experience, and follow up call for further research in this area (Touquet & Gorris, 2016). This phenomenological study aims to investigate the intersection between conflict-related sexual violence against men in the DRC and the male code. The narratives of 14 participants emphasize on the concept of time to compare their ‘old life’versus ‘new life’ with the sexual trauma as the turning point. Although conflict-related sexual violence against men and boys is described as a controversial and taboo subject (Chynoweth, 2017), the results actually point to the lack of secrecy around the sexual trauma. The results also show that the understanding of gender impact participants’ masculine identity and their journey towards healing and recovery. Specifically, masculine norms influence the way the trauma is processed and expressed. Participants associate healing with regaining full status as “real men”.