Dear Editor,

It is really time for us to rethink our ideas of gender within this country because, quite frankly, rape is rape. There are no ifs, buts or maybes about it.

As a male rape survivor, I call for legislators to really look into themselves and think about the many boys and young men out there who have been touched in ways that make them uncomfortable, forcibly penetrated by strangers, or even family members they knew.

As Lisa Hanna, in her presentation to Parliament on the Child Diversion Act opined, “There is a disparity between how we treat sexual offences on a boy and sexual offences on a girl. It is something that we have run around because, for some reason, it is an uncomfortable discussion that we have as legislators, but it is a real problem.”

Sexual intercourse is an integral part of the legal definition of rape. Sexual intercourse is defined as penis-to-vagina penetration. When a person is raped anally by a penis, then the only thing their rapist can be charged for is buggery, which has a lesser sentence than rape.

The sexual abuse and rape of boys is much more rampant than many of us think. It happens – whether they are being assaulted by their mother’s boyfriends, a taxi driver who takes them to school, a relative they trusted and adored, or simply a stranger on the streets. As a result of the stigma and trauma attached, many bear the pain alone.

In turn, the assistance offered to male survivors of rape is under the radar and many do not avail themselves of such services. In fact, between 2007 to 2013, only 892 cases of the sexual abuse of boys were reported to the Office of the Children’s Registry. When compared with the overwhelming figure of 12,449 cases of sexual abuse of girls, a huge disparity is seen.

The nature of rape has not changed. We have to do more to address the abuse of our young men and boys, who become victims with antisocial behavioural tendencies due to years of pent-up anger and trauma. The conversation must make you uncomfortable and must be brutally honest as we chart a course to address this in legislation. It is my hope that we listen keenly and reflect on the stories of all survivors and think about our sons and daughters who stand most vulnerable in these situations. Save them! Fix it now.

Mikhail C Williams

Youth advocate

mikhailwilliamsart@gmail.com