I'm not sure how common this is in Ireland, or else where in the developed world. (I couldnt find the another thread on it.)

I'm not sure how it happens exactly as I imagine it would be very difficult to do.

But it seems uncommon enough to make it onto the national bbc news website today:

A man was raped after being attacked on a footpath in Southampton.

The incident happened near the Clover Nook Flats, off Old Redbridge Road, at about 05:00 BST.The 22-year-old was walking along a footpath when he was approached by a male stranger who raped him before running away, police said.

The suspect is described as white, 5ft 8in tall with short hair and wore a white T-shirt, blue jeans and white trainers. He also had a tribal tattoo.

Officers carried out house-to-house inquiries earlier and sealed the area off for forensic investigation.Hampshire police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to contact them.

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I imagine when it does happen to an adult male, they are very slow to report it for numerous reasons eg fears of not being taken seriously, they feel guilty for being in a dodgy location eg cruising ground 'sense of I half-deserved it' or just the fear of being outed.

Its not called rape in Ireland but a Section 4 sexual assault. The Rape Crisis Centre has said few ever come to trial.

PS- Just after reading that the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says 12% of its clients are male. Im shocked - didnt think it was so high.

Yea I heard about one in ten so 12% would be about right, it's an odd subject people rarely talk about rape like it's something that can happen to men.

Some of that figure probably includes adults reporting abuse as a child. But the other thing that figure is their clients. I think that quite a lot of men would probably never discuss their experiences with anyone

I'd be curious to know of those men reporting rape or sexual assault what proportion were assaulted by a man and what proportion by a woman?

I don't think anyone who is a victim of rape feels like that they "half deserved it".

People frequently post stories of being out cruising and being assaulted and feeling a degree of guilt about putting themselves at risk. Admittedly those people usually haven't been sexually assaulted, but I could see how someone could blame themselves.

A lot of people do, and there are still a lot of people who insinuate that if someone put themselves in a risky situation that they half deserved it or at least shouldn't be surprised that it happened.

there are a lot of people who think it yes. but there are also a lot of people who believe the earth is 3000 years old.

those people are incorrect.

It is unfair to suggest people can dress in a way which invites sexual assault. No one wishes to be sexually assaulted by the cloths they where or where they happen to be standing.

And we know how much power those people have (too much)

I think rape is wholly under-reported, as there are many people who are in relationship being raped by their partners but it is twisted and manipulated into that fuzzy grey area. You are far more at risk with someone you know than someone you don't.

My pet hate on crime shows is when they laugh/snigger/threaten that a male suspect will be raped in jail and get what he deserves.

that's where self esteem comes in. just like spousal abuse, you need to have the strength of mind to "know" you're not at fault.

The worst thing is you can hardly set up a phone line for "male victims of rape", if a victim wanted no one to know, then calling a phone line which deals exclusively with the matter is as good as telling everyone. But if you just seek general psychological assistance, or risk calling a normal rape crisis line, there a chance you may not be dealt with properly, or god forbid, not be taken seriously.

I don't know if this is already the case, but If I were administrating such things I would contact all the "rape crisis" and some general psychological services with a referral service, in other words set up a system where a male rape victim approaches a regular outlet and that outlets refers them onward to a central specialized service.

yes! I mean is the same true of murder?
So many people don't know the difference between justice and vengeance.

Rape is no laughing matter. Good thread.

I agree with Trep here, isn't rape about power and not really about sex (eg it's the biggest form of bullying) So therefore I don't see any reason why a guy, rather than a girl shouldn't report it. As Penny and others have pointed out 1 in 10 have done so, (I admire their courage) What worries me and a lot of others here (suggested from their posts) is that people male/female our scared to come forward after they have being raped, because of society believing that it maybe unture, (a victim is a victim as long as society sees them as a victim, in some cases they can be seen as a hero) Social ideas like that deserve to be questioned and changed, no one deserves to feel threatened buy another person.

agreed, well, except with the small alteration that it's "as much about bullying as it is about sex" and not: "not about sex but about bullying"
To say rape isn't about sex would be silly, as I'm sure is obvious.