1 in 7 of men ‘raped’ by women ‘overpowered’

One in seven men who reported being “raped” by women said they were physically overpowered or threatened with a weapon.

A survey of 154 British men claiming to be victims of forced sex with women found that a fifth had succumbed to blackmail and verbal threats.

But a high proportion, 14.4 per cent, said they had experienced actual or threatened physical violence, such as being pinned down or having a weapon held over them.

While the majority of the men were aged 16 to 25 when the alleged incident happened, just over 10 per cent were children aged 15 and under.

Dr Siobhan Weare, from the University of Lancaster Law School, who led the team, said:“the ‘hidden-hidden’ nature of this crime and the complex gender dynamics involved means many are made to feel too ashamed or feel too distressed to report it.” US research in 2010 found that 4.8 per cent of men had been forced to have penetrative sex with someon, said Dr Weare. In around 80 per cent of these cases the perpetrator was female.