by Siobhan Weare

The crimes of Reynhard Sinaga described by prosecutors as “the most prolific rapist in British history” have shocked and horrified many people. But the case has also highlighted that rape doesn’t just happen to women.

Sinaga was jailed for a minimum of 30 years for 159 offences against 48 men who were lured to his Manchester flat, drugged and raped. Police believe that the total number of his victims is likely to exceed 190 men

While the scale of Sinaga’s sexual offending and the way he specifically targeted men who had been drinking, is shocking, the fact that his victims were men should not have been. And yet for many people, it was.

Men are victims of sexual violence perpetrated by both men and women. Indeed, the Crime Survey for England and Wales suggests that over 630,000 men have experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 16. But given that many men do not disclose their experiences, this number is likely to be much higher.

Part of the problem is that the government incorporates male sexual violence under one overarching cross-government policy: the strategy on ending violence against women and girls(VAWG). This means that cases of male sexual violence are classed as a “VAWG crime”, and this is a problem, for several reasons. Read morevia Conversation