Resources for men

Did you know?

• One in four men suffered physical abuse as a child.
• One in 10 men experienced sexual abuse.

Any violation of a man’s right over his own body is wrong. Violence and abuse against men, including sexual, physical and verbal abuse, can have lasting emotional consequences.

It is common for men who have experienced violence and abuse to feel

• Shock and numbness – Why do I feel cut off from people? Why do I feel numb inside?
• Disbelief – Things like this don’t happen to guys like me.
• Embarrassment – I don’t want anyone to know about this. What if they blame me? What if they see me as weak?
• Guilt and shame – Why do I feel guilty? I’m not the one who did this. But I don’t know how to get this dirty feeling off of me.
• Fear – What if I got herpes and AIDS from this? What next? What if something worse happens to me? I don’t feel safe anywhere.
• Anger – I used to laugh things off and now everything makes me mad. How can I keep my family and friends if my anger keeps flaring up like this?
• Physical stress – Why can’t I eat? Why can’t I sleep? Why is it so hard to get out of bed? Is my body going to fall apart now, too?

What you can do

• Get medical help.
• Do not overuse caffeine, nicotine, alcohol or drugs.
• Do not isolate yourself.
• Put your feelings into words.
• Get support from family or friends you can trust.
• Get professional support from a counselor or advocate.