2008 Woodie Awards
Speaker discusses topic of male sexual abuse
Benjamin Sobieck
Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: News
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The Atwood Little Theatre was recently the scene of frank discussion of a sometimes closeted, hushed topic: male sexual abuse.
The conversation was part of observations of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with events throughout April sponsored by Campus Advocates Against Sexual Assault (CAASA) and the SCSU Women's Center.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), someone is sexually assaulted in America every two and a half minutes.
While the majority of these cases are perpetrated on women, RAINN estimates put one in 33 men as being victims of sexual assault sometime during their lives - compared to one in six women.
Regardless, the event at the theater highlighted the fact that lower numbers do not mean male survivors of abuse are less important.
Facilitating the theater discussion, beginning around 5 p.m. last Thursday, was Craig Martin, a counselor from the Central MN Sexual Assault Center.
Outside of his work, Martin's experience has much to do with the topic and setting of Thursday. He graduated from SCSU with a degree in social work, and is a survivor of abuse himself.
Martin spoke openly about the effects the abuse has had on his life to the audience of about 20, both in person and through a documentary that was played.
"Stories of Silence: Boyhood Sexual Abuse" chronicled several men, including Martin, coping with and candidly discussing their experiences with sexual abuse.
Before the documentary, Martin said he wanted the audience to realize they had help available if the film proved too emotional.
"One of the things that makes it (the documentary) so special is that it is so personal," he said. "There are some parts in here that may be triggering, especially with the events that have been going on this week."
That personal approach in the documentary told of the need to talk about male sexual abuse, because the stigma is to stick to the tough guy image.
The conversation was part of observations of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, with events throughout April sponsored by Campus Advocates Against Sexual Assault (CAASA) and the SCSU Women's Center.
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), someone is sexually assaulted in America every two and a half minutes.
While the majority of these cases are perpetrated on women, RAINN estimates put one in 33 men as being victims of sexual assault sometime during their lives - compared to one in six women.
Regardless, the event at the theater highlighted the fact that lower numbers do not mean male survivors of abuse are less important.
Facilitating the theater discussion, beginning around 5 p.m. last Thursday, was Craig Martin, a counselor from the Central MN Sexual Assault Center.
Outside of his work, Martin's experience has much to do with the topic and setting of Thursday. He graduated from SCSU with a degree in social work, and is a survivor of abuse himself.
Martin spoke openly about the effects the abuse has had on his life to the audience of about 20, both in person and through a documentary that was played.
"Stories of Silence: Boyhood Sexual Abuse" chronicled several men, including Martin, coping with and candidly discussing their experiences with sexual abuse.
Before the documentary, Martin said he wanted the audience to realize they had help available if the film proved too emotional.
"One of the things that makes it (the documentary) so special is that it is so personal," he said. "There are some parts in here that may be triggering, especially with the events that have been going on this week."
That personal approach in the documentary told of the need to talk about male sexual abuse, because the stigma is to stick to the tough guy image.