Sexual violence against men and boys in conflict and forced displacement: implications for the health sector

Abstract

Sexual violence against men and boys is commonplace in many conflict-affected settings and may be frequent in relation to forced displacement as well. Adolescent boys, forming the majority of unaccompanied minors globally, are a particularly vulnerable group. Yet sensitised health services for adult and adolescent male sexual violence survivors are scarce, and barriers to accessing care remain high. We describe current challenges and gaps in the provision of health care for male survivors in settings affected by conflict and forced displacement, and provide suggestions on how to improve service provision and uptake.

Résumé

La violence sexuelle à l’égard des hommes et des jeunes garçons est habituelle dans beaucoup de sites touchés par les conflits et peut également être fréquente en cas de déplacement forcé. Les adolescents, qui représentent la majorité des mineurs non accompagnés dans le monde, sont un groupe particulièrement vulnérable. Pourtant, les services de santé sensibilisés pour les hommes et les adolescents victimes de la violence sexuelle sont rares, et les obstacles à l’accès aux soins restent nombreux. Nous décrivons les enjeux actuels et les lacunes dans la prestation de soins de santé pour les victimes masculines dans des environnements touchés par les conflits ou les déplacements forcés, et suggérons des moyens d’améliorer la prestation et l’utilisation des services.

Resumen

La violencia sexual contra hombres y niños es común en muchos entornos afectados por conflicto y posiblemente sea frecuente con relación al desplazamiento forzado también. Los niños adolescentes, quienes constituyen la mayoría de menores no acompañados mundialmente, son un grupo particularmente vulnerable. Sin embargo, los servicios de salud sensibilizados para hombres y niños adolescentes sobrevivientes de violencia sexual son escasos, y las barreras para acceder a estos servicios continúan siendo numerosas. Describimos los retos actuales y las brechas en la prestación de servicios de salud para los sobrevivientes en entornos afectados por conflicto y desplazamiento forzado, y ofrecemos sugerencias sobre cómo mejorar la prestación y aceptación de servicios.

Keywords:

• sexual violence
• humanitarian
• men and boys
• male
• health

Notes

* SKC travelled to Lebanon, Jordan, and the Kurdistan region of Iraq in October 2016 to undertake research for UNHCR on sexual violence against men and boys in the Syria crisis. JF was deployed as a Gender-based Violence Specialist to UNFPA in Greece from August 2016 to January 2017 to develop and coordinate responses to gender-based violence against refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers in camps and urban settings.

† Note that sexual and gender-based violence services for women and girls require significant strengthening across these settings as well.

‡ GBV IMS is a data management system that enables service providers working with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence to safely collect, store, analyse, and share data. Note that GBV IMS data are from reported cases only and are not representative of the total incidence or prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence in each setting. In the Middle East, for example, a number of agencies providing services to male survivors have not adopted the use of the GBV IMS and their data are, therefore, not included in the GBV IMS data.

§ For debate on the inclusion of men and boys in humanitarian gender-based violence programming, see the debate between Jeanne Ward and Chris Dolan in International Review of the Red Cross (2014, 2016, 2017).