Unraveling silence: police perceptions and responses to male victims of rape

Introduction Male victims of rape face significant barriers when reporting to the South African Police Service (SAPS), where hegemonic masculinity and heteronormative institutional cultures render male victimhood socially unintelligible. This study examines how police perceptions and institutional practices produce epistemic and secondary victimization for male rape victims. Methods A qualitative design using in-depth semi-structured interviews was employed. Fourteen SAPS officers in Johannesburg were recruited via purposive and snowball sampling. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis following Braun and Clarke's six-phase framework, within an interpretive-constructivist epistemology, an intersectional theoretical framework, and Connell's hegemonic masculinity theory. Findings Key themes emerged: (1) internalized rape myths and stigma as barriers to reporting male rape; (2) heteronormativity, homophobia and policing of male victimhood homophobia and the role of heteronormativity and homophobia in policing male victimhood. The section also addresses secondary and epistemic victimization through dismissive and intrusive questioning, and emergent pockets of resistance among officers advocating for more inclusive, victim-centred practices. Discussion The findings demonstrate that hegemonic masculinity functions not only as a social ideology but as an institutional logic governing recognition, credibility, and access to justice for male rape victims. Gay and gender-nonconforming individuals face compounded stigma. Structural interventions, including gender-sensitive training and institutional reform, are needed to address the systemic marginalization of male rape victims within South African policing.