In the southern Indian state of Kerala, a 16-year-old boy was sexually abused for more than two years by 14 men he met through a dating app popular with the LGBTI community. Police have launched an investigation into the 14 men, of whom at least nine have been arrested.
The case has drawn attention to the topic of sexual violence against boys in a country that often draws attention for its aggression and attacks on women. But experts and those affected say the topic remains taboo - very few people in India talk about it.
Shame, silence, stigma
DW spoke to a 24-year-old survivor of sexual violence. On condition of anonymity, he told DW his personal story - how as a boy he was "exploited" by his relatives, people he "trusted, respected and considered his protectors". The fact that he kept quiet about being raped for a long time is due to the enormous social pressure on men to be strong and not complain. "Society's idea of masculinity is that if you complain, you are not a real man", he says.
Sociologist Vijaylakshmi Brara adds another argument: the reluctance to accept men as victims stems from traditionally rooted ideas about masculinity, according to which men are perceived as dominant, not as victims: "The traditional concept of "masculinity" "It portrays men as strong and superior, making it difficult to accept that men can also be vulnerable or abused," Brara said.
According to her, the male victim is often dismissed in mainstream thinking, with patriarchal societies unable or unwilling to accept or even imagine that men and boys can also be victims of such crimes.
"The belief that only women are victims is deeply rooted in Indian society. And that makes such experiences of men largely invisible," Brara said.
The young victim DW spoke to echoed this sentiment: "No one imagines that a boy can be abused. "When a boy decides to reveal that he has been sexually abused, he is often ridiculed," he says.
A national survey conducted by India's Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2007 found that more than half of boys had been victims of sexual violence, with nearly a quarter of them experiencing severe forms of sexual violence. While the survey is not representative, it does show that the problem is widespread in India.
Taboos must be broken
Men who have experienced sexual violence face serious psychological challenges - including deep shame and isolation, fueled by a general distrust of their stories, Nandini Bhattacharya tells DW. The activist helps men who have been victims of such violence. It also confirms that men are expected to provide for and protect their loved ones, while women are seen as weak and fragile, she explains.
"Such men or boys experience intense guilt, self-blame and anxiety, in addition to being unable to express emotions and intimacy. And this often results in their silence and reluctance to seek help or report the abuse," says Bhattacharya.
This culture of silence means that boys are often overlooked in discussions about abuse, points out Indian writer Yashodhara Ray Chaudhuri. "Contrary to popular belief, boys suffer violence to a similar extent as girls, and in some cases the perpetrators are women," she says.
Many men only reveal their traumatic experiences years later in private conversations. "This shows how great the need is to challenge social taboos and broaden the understanding of violence beyond gender-based perceptions", Chaudhuri adds.
There is also a need to tighten legislation to protect children from sexual violence - regardless of their gender. "Any form of violence or physical abuse of the human body should be equally reprehensible, regardless of the situation or gender," Yashodhara Chaudhuri also tells DW.
Author: Hridi Kundu