Suchergebnisse

"Rape is, unfortunately, an all-too-common violent crime usually perpetrated against women. For victims, the process of sharing information about the assault with loves ones or reporting the crime to police can be harrowing, embarrassing, and painful. The emotional aftermath and the responses of others can greatly affect the way a rape survivor copes. Although there are trained counselors to help women through the process of recovery, the question remains: What role should the men in their lives play? Often the men who are closest to rape survivors-intimate partners, friends, and family members-are simply unprepared to offer the right assistance. The wrong word or action may trigger an unexpected response. The book When The Subject Is Rape, written by Dr. Alan McEvoy, is designed specifically for men to help them identify, understand, and respond appropriately in their role as allies in a woman's recovery from rape"--

A questionnaire addressing rape crisis services for male significant others (MSOs) of rape victims (i.e., husbands, fathers, brothers, close male friends) was mailed to the directors of all 700 rape-prevention and -treatment programs in the United States. Completed questionnaires were received from 411 programs, including 162 that were identified specifically as full-service rape crisis centers. Although 97% of the center directors responded that services for MSOs facilitate victim recovery, few centers offered services to males other than referral or short-term crisis counseling. Furthermore, 85% of the directors acknowledged that males were reluctant to use these services. The authors offer strategies for involving men in the recovery process with the assistance of rape crisis centers, including groups for secondary victims and staffing and referral considerations.