title: Sexual assaults on gay and bisexual men: Barriers to reporting to the police

authors: Patlakas, Peter

subjects: sexual assault

abstract: Sexual assault is a matter of public concern that affects many individuals globally, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation.  With many survivors of sexual assaults choosing not to report their victimisation to police, it appears that prevalence rates based on reports made to the police represent only a fraction of the actual occurrence of assaults.  This is especially the case where assaults on gay and bisexual men are concerned.  This study examined the barriers gay and bisexual male survivors of sexual assaults face in reporting their victimisation to the police.
This study aimed to address a lack in New Zealand based research on the topic and develop an overall representation of the various barriers these survivors may encounter, as well as solutions for their reduction.  This was achieved by conducting semi-structured interviews with six service providers functioning as key informants and four gay/bisexual male survivors of sexual assault.  Interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis.  The qualitative software NVivo was used to allow for the development and organisation of themes and subthemes from the interview data collected.  Four themes were identified pertaining to barriers: personal, social, institutional, and abuse-specific.  Personal and social barriers were more readily recognised than those within the institutional and abuse-specific themes.  A fifth theme, the reduction theme, emerged in relation to suggestions for decreasing barriers.
The following eight barrier areas were identified within the personal barrier theme: defence mechanisms, cognitive mindset, revisiting, knowledge, emotions, privacy/confidentiality, past experience, and mental health.  The social theme consisted of nine barrier areas: family, queer community, support, culture and religion, homosexuality and gender, myths, judgement, homophobia and prejudice, and location and environment.  Seven barrier areas were identified within the institutional theme: poor responses, services and counselling, cons to reporting, the law, court dynamics, limitations, and police.  The abuse-specific barrier theme consisted of nine barrier areas: time, need for proof, victim-perpetrator relationship, age, drugs and alcohol, disclosure of details, consent issues, report scrutiny, and labelling and defining.
Finally, six areas were identified pertaining to the reduction of barriers: services, youth, police, information, reporting process, and societal attitudes.  Many of the suggestions for reduction methods, such as increasing police training and services offered within the queer community, were seen to be beneficial, yet they may still be subject to various difficulties in their implementation, such as funding concerns.
Queer-specific barrier aspects were deemed important to account for in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic.  Various linkages between barriers also emerged, effectively making a decision to report to the police even harder for survivors.  A case study based on one of the survivors interviewed helped to illustrate this complex weaving of barriers.
Further research is needed to examine these barriers on deeper levels, particularly in terms of addressing any differences between youth and adult survivors.  The results of this study serve as the first step in developing the foundation to bring information on this topic to the forefront of New Zealand research in the area.

text: Sexual assaults on gay and bisexual men: Barriers to reporting to the police Sexual assault is a matter of public concern that affects many individuals globally, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation.  With many survivors of sexual assaults choosing not to report their victimisation to police, it appears that prevalence rates based on reports made to the police represent only a fraction of the actual occurrence of assaults.  This is especially the case where assaults on gay and bisexual men are concerned.  This study examined the barriers gay and bisexual male survivors of sexual assaults face in reporting their victimisation to the police.
This study aimed to address a lack in New Zealand based research on the topic and develop an overall representation of the various barriers these survivors may encounter, as well as solutions for their reduction.  This was achieved by conducting semi-structured interviews with six service providers functioning as key informants and four gay/bisexual male survivors of sexual assault.  Interviews were recorded and transcribed for thematic analysis.  The qualitative software NVivo was used to allow for the development and organisation of themes and subthemes from the interview data collected.  Four themes were identified pertaining to barriers: personal, social, institutional, and abuse-specific.  Personal and social barriers were more readily recognised than those within the institutional and abuse-specific themes.  A fifth theme, the reduction theme, emerged in relation to suggestions for decreasing barriers.
The following eight barrier areas were identified within the personal barrier theme: defence mechanisms, cognitive mindset, revisiting, knowledge, emotions, privacy/confidentiality, past experience, and mental health.  The social theme consisted of nine barrier areas: family, queer community, support, culture and religion, homosexuality and gender, myths, judgement, homophobia and prejudice, and location and environment.  Seven barrier areas were identified within the institutional theme: poor responses, services and counselling, cons to reporting, the law, court dynamics, limitations, and police.  The abuse-specific barrier theme consisted of nine barrier areas: time, need for proof, victim-perpetrator relationship, age, drugs and alcohol, disclosure of details, consent issues, report scrutiny, and labelling and defining.
Finally, six areas were identified pertaining to the reduction of barriers: services, youth, police, information, reporting process, and societal attitudes.  Many of the suggestions for reduction methods, such as increasing police training and services offered within the queer community, were seen to be beneficial, yet they may still be subject to various difficulties in their implementation, such as funding concerns.
Queer-specific barrier aspects were deemed important to account for in order to develop a comprehensive understanding of the topic.  Various linkages between barriers also emerged, effectively making a decision to report to the police even harder for survivors.  A case study based on one of the survivors interviewed helped to illustrate this complex weaving of barriers.
Further research is needed to examine these barriers on deeper levels, particularly in terms of addressing any differences between youth and adult survivors.  The results of this study serve as the first step in developing the foundation to bring information on this topic to the forefront of New Zealand research in the area.

year: 2013

title: Why honey is effective as a medicine. 1. Its use in modern medicine

authors: Molan, Peter C.

subjects: biology

abstract: Honey has been used as a medicine for thousands of years and its curative properties are well documented. However, modern medicine turned its back on honey and it is only now, with the advent of multi-resistant bacteria, that the antibiotic properties of honey are being rediscovered.

text: Why honey is effective as a medicine. 1. Its use in modern medicine Honey has been used as a medicine for thousands of years and its curative properties are well documented. However, modern medicine turned its back on honey and it is only now, with the advent of multi-resistant bacteria, that the antibiotic properties of honey are being rediscovered.

year: 1999

title: Stemming the colonial environmental tide – Ecosystem-based management and shared Crown-Māori co-governance for sustaining our marine coastal estate in Aotearoa New Zealand – Summary report

authors: Joseph, Robert

subjects: Co-governance and ecosystem-based management, shared Crown-Maori governance jurisdiction over the coastal marine estate, ecosystem-based management

abstract: This summary report was prepared by Dr Robert Joseph from Te Mata Hautū Taketake – the Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre, Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato for the National Science Challenge Sustainable Seas Ko Ngā Moana Whakauka Project.

text: Stemming the colonial environmental tide – Ecosystem-based management and shared Crown-Māori co-governance for sustaining our marine coastal estate in Aotearoa New Zealand – Summary report This summary report was prepared by Dr Robert Joseph from Te Mata Hautū Taketake – the Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre, Te Piringa Faculty of Law at the University of Waikato for the National Science Challenge Sustainable Seas Ko Ngā Moana Whakauka Project.

year: 2023-12