Sexual harassment knows no gender

Social norms and under-reporting by the media need to catch up with the law to raise awareness about male sexual assault victims, writes Itsarin Tisantia

Like women, men can also be harassed and the media should start treating it seriously as the issue has been under-reported in the news, a seminar was told.

Social norms and the expectations make men less likely to report any harassment they suffer, according to gender and sexuality expert Thitipong Duangkong.

He was a panelist in a recent seminar entitled “Harassment: Re-understanding the Silent Suffering of Men in the Media” held at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Mr Thitipong said men are expected to assert a dominant role in their families and are not supposed to show any weakness or vulnerability.

When men are harassed, they feel less inclined to complain to authorities fearing people might think of them as unmanly. Commonly-heard expressions that reflect people’s expectations toward masculinity are, for example, “Be a man!” “Man up!” and “Boys Don’t Cry”, the expert said.

“Everyone deserves equal rights. Therefore, when a male is sexually harassed by either another male or female, the incident should be taken seriously without gender bias,” Mr Thitipong said.

But the media, as a shaping force of public opinion, can change the prevailing perception to address gender bias at the expense of men, he said.

When women experience sexual harassment, the media works actively to report the issue because it always catches the public’s attention and is seen as a big issue.

On the other hand, when the same harassment happens to men, the media does not work as effectively in reporting the news. The media tends to trivialise harassment against men, often treating it as a joke.

“The media is a mirror of society’s perceptions and expectations. To gain public attention, people in the world of mass communication are still concerned about their ratings and getting more people to watch or engage [in the news they present],” said Ray Wang, a lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication.

However, the law is ahead of the media in addressing the issue. In fact, the Criminal Code has been amended to broaden the definition of sex-related violence as only being committed against a woman.

Previously, Section 276 of the code said that “whoever has sexual intercourse with a woman, who is not his wife, against her will, by threatening by any means, by perpetrating any act of sex-related violence,

When a male is sexually harassed by either another male or female, the incident should be taken seriously without gender bias. GENDER AND SEXUALITY EXPERT

by taking advantage of a woman who is in no position to resist, or by misleading a woman who ends up being a victim of a sex-related act, is liable for a jail term of between four and 20 years and a fine of between 80,000 baht and 400,000 baht.”

The code was later amended. It now says that “whoever has sexual intercourse with another person, against his or her will, by threatening using any means, by perpetrating any act of sex-related violence, by taking advantage of the other person who is in no position to resist, or by misleading a person who ends up being a victim of a sex-related act is liable for a jail term of between four and 20 years and a fine of between 80,000 baht and 400,000 baht.

Matalak Aor-rungroj, a law professor at Thammasat University, said the amended law also is less specific about the means of sexual attacks.

Before the law was revised, it said rape involves a non-consensual act involving the insertion of the male’s genitalia into a woman’s vagina.

“There was a case where a man arrived at a police station intending to file a complaint that he had been violated by a woman. But the police could not pursue the case because the law said that only women can be raped,” she said.

But now the legal definition has changed to say that the rape can involve the sexual violation via the anus or mouth as well.

“First and foremost, the victim needs to see a doctor quickly so traces of the attacker’s DNA can be obtained,” the professor said.

“I’ve never heard of a reported case in which men were raped by women. It can be difficult for men to go to the police station and say that they have been sexually harassed,” Ms Matalak pointed out.

She said she supported people getting equal legal protection regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. Everyone has the right to choose when, with whom and how they want to have sex, as long as it is consensual, he added.

Terms like rape and “sexual violation” should be more clearly explained, he said.

THITIPONG DUANGKONG