Support organisations say a sharp increase in male victims of sexual assault seeking help illustrates the desperate need for more specialised services.
Not-for-profit service Waratah, in Bunbury, says 35 boys and eight men sought help from the service last financial year — about double the figures from 2021.
The Survivors and Mates Support Network (SAMSN), a national charity working with male survivors of child sexual abuse, reported a waiting list of 200 men for its support groups.
But the organisations said many survivors were still reluctant to come forward.
Peter (not his real name) sought help after decades of carrying a heavy secret.
He was physically and sexually assaulted by his teacher in primary school.
Waratah chief executive Rebecca Jury said the increase in men seeking help at the small service, which supports male and female abuse survivors, was reflective of a broader increase across the board.
Dr Jury said these days men felt more able to seek help, given broader discussions of sexual assault in the community.
However, not all services are reporting an increase in men seeking support.
Kylie Laughton, from WA’s Sexual Assault Resource Centre, said about 7 per cent of the 1,850 clients the service saw each year identified as male, and that number had remained static.
Based in NSW, SAMSN is reporting an increasing demand for its support groups for men.
Chief executive Craig Hughes-Cashmore said men battled huge amounts of stigma and myths about abuse.
(ABC)
