Recently, it seems that each day women are coming forward to share their experiences with sexual harassment and assault. That doesn’t mean men are never on the receiving end. Terry Crews, a celebrity, recently shared his experience as well as Corey Feldman and James Van Der Beek.

In today’s society men find themselves hiding their feelings or keeping secrets because they may be viewed as less masculine and may find themselves unaccepted by others, especially other men. “I think society puts a big label and responsibility on men to be strong, both physically and mentally. I think men hide their feelings because they don’t want to be seen as any less of a man since the world has put such high standards on what a ‘real’ man is,” said Chloe Henderson, a sophomore at Bob Jones. 

Are there resources and support for male victims? Male Survivor and Safe Place are all support resources for male victims, but are they advertised enough? Marcia McCoy, a junior at Bob Jones, feels there are not enough support for male victims. “All you hear about are the women support groups.”

Is there more we can be doing for male victims? Ninety-three percent of polled students said that we need to spread more awareness for male victims. Not many people talk about men being victims, but it does happen. In fact, men are 40% percent of abuse victims. But how can we spread awareness? Just talking about it or shining a light on the issue with social media helps more than you think. 

Abuse against anyone– male or female– is not a joke. Reporting abuse does not make you weak or “less manly.” To anybody who is dealing with abuse or working on healing, you can call this 24/7 hotline number: 1-800-799-7233.