"Most prolific" rapist reporting - male vs female victims

The reporting on this case has, rightly, been respectful and sympathetic to the male victims. All we're asking is that the same respect and sympathy be accorded to female victims of rape. How difficult can that be to understand?

Exactly. It’s conspicuous in its unconditional sympathy for the victims (and quite rightly).

No caveats. No subtext of victim blaming - ‘but the men were drinking and agreed to go back to his flat’. (Did we even get to find out what the men were wearing at the time of their rapes?)

It’s how all rapes should be reported.

But it’s only how straight male rapes are reported.

Other interesting things about this case. Obviously the media blackout on reporting, because they decided to hold four trials so that 48 victims could give evidence, which seems highly unusual, and puzzling.

Also the fact that only one victim (the last one) was aware that he'd been attacked. None of the others apparently had any idea. If you'd been raped, wouldn't there be some physical evidence of the fact? That seems strange. (Not casting doubt, obviously, just interested.)

Also: the police only knew about the number of rapes because he'd videoed the evidence. Otherwise he could quite easily have got away with these crimes in perpetuity. This to me is the most chilling aspect. How many rapists are there at large drugging victims, male or female, and raping them without their knowledge?

The reporting on this case has, rightly, been respectful and sympathetic to the male victims. All we're asking is that the same respect and sympathy be accorded to female victims of rape. How difficult can that be to understand?

This morning on LBC they were still talking about how the young woman in Cyprus "should take responsibility" for putting herself in danger. It's the "silly girl" narrative, which wipes away the crime. It's natural that women will want to highlight the difference between the way male / female victims of rape are treated. It's a devastating case, for those men, and I hope they're OK.

I've only read the report in the Times this morning, which seems quite objective.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/most-prolific-rapist-reynhard-sinaga-jailed-for-life-for-raping-195-men-8g5p0t78k?shareToken=cfa5bb0445fdcceec581225c5f54516c

Sorry, but this is not a male vs female thing.

This case had a very specific MO and scale, and a very specific outcome, due to the police being incredibly clear evidence from his phone. I am not aware of any case like it involving female victims.

In this case there was no uncertainty. No need for anyone to consider whether the victim did or didn't consent. No speculation on whether the victim 'asked for it' because it was 100% clear from the outset, once those videos were seen.

If the case had been identical but with female victims, there's no reason to think that the reporting would be any different or any less sympathetic to the victims. If anything I think it would be reported even more sympathetically.

I share stories like this on my personal Facebook page. Whenever I share stories about female victims of male violence I get so many comments of NAMALT and whataboutery

in a similar vein on IWD i spend time tweeting about "women's issues" and resources and so on. And get accused of "not caring about men". Except that on IMD i do similar - especially with resources about men's mental health. And do i get comments from women about not caring about women? Nope. I get support, retweets, additional info and agreement.

What i hope the reporting of this case brings is a concerted effort by everyone to hold journalists and other news outlets to similar high standards.

And absolutely, yes, to include information about how to report to the police and victim aid resources too. Every time. (to be fair the BBC often do that after sensitive story lines in dramas too)

Home Secretary Priti Patel said in response to Sinaga's "truly sickening crimes" she had asked an independent council to prioritise a review into whether controls for drugs like GHB were "tough enough".
GHB (gammahydroxybutyrate) is a class C drug. Anyone found in possession of it can be imprisoned for up to two years.

^ quote from BBC coverage.
If the government reaction to male rape is strong enough to get these very dangerous drugs - which for a long time have been specifically referred to as ‘date rape’ drugs -because they incapacitate people then leave little trace - then that will be a greater protection for everyone. Make these drugs class A. They’re used as weapons.

If the situation were reversed, this thread would be accused of WATMing. 100%.

I share stories like this on my personal Facebook page. Whenever I share stories about female victims of male violence I get so many comments of NAMALT and whataboutery. There's one particular commenter who likes to make sure I know that female violence towards males is just as high. Males suffer more (suicide etc). I can easily get into the 100+ comments.

I share stories about male victims of male violence too. Including this one. 1 comment. That's it. 1 comment. And the people that do the NAMALTing/whataboutery? Nothing, no where to be seen.

I hope the victims get the support they need and the perpetrator suffers accordingly to the law.

I too have noticed a marked difference in the way this has been reported, the lack of "what were these silly men thinking when they accepted an invitation back to a man's home", and "silly men getting drunk and losing their friends", nothing about their outfits, sexual history, their alleged enjoyment of rough "degrading" sex etc.

Maybe the fact that it seems to have been a few women journalists who have been reporting on it and sitting through the trials means they have a more sympathetic perspective and actually report on it properly?

I hope the men get all the help and support they need.

Thank goodness. She should never have had to go through any of it. And her rapists still escape justice.

@placemats wrote,
To add: He is the most prolific rapist and he got life. How do they know this? He is the most prolific rapist, who was caught and charged to date.

Obviously, all those men were believed.

I have already pointed out that the final victim who broke free and went to the police was not believed and was arrested. So placemats claiming that somehow men are more likely to be believed is not true in this instance. The other victims were told that they were victims because they were identified from the videos.
This was a distasteful and inaccurate point by placemats. It suggests that placemats jumped to conclusions based on prejudice. It suggests a lack of concern for these victims of rape.
Not nice.

@ConnorRipley I believe I read that tomorrow she's going to be pardoned, given her passport back and allowed to leave the country.

Of course being pardoned is not being proven innocent. Which she is. But I'm glad she's getting out of there and going home.

Yes, this really stood out as being treated differently because the victims were men. How could anyone fail to compare this with Warboys and that poor young woman in Cyprus?

According to Wiki, Warboys has got two life sentences with a minimum of six years.

I wish they’d drop the term “life sentence” when they clearly don’t mean it.

Not just the reporting. In this case:min prison term of 30 years. Warboys: 8 years.

No support number given out after the Weinstein report.

I just wish women were treated like men. I don't for a moment think that this is anything other than awful and I don't want to diminish their experience. I'm just angry that women are treated so badly.

The girl in Cyprus was gang raped on video and police suggested the existence of the video was her motive for lying about her rape.

I just saw on the news that police are appealing for more of Sanaga’s victims to come forward. Because obviously they will be believed.

Doyoumind there were two separate numbers given

One “if you are affected by these issues generally” and one “if you are linked/have information”.

We’re going to hear a lot about male rape now.

Meanwhile, I believe the lady in Cyprus is due to be sentenced tomorrow.

To give them the benefit of the doubt, the helpline may be for people who could have been victims who haven't been found yet.

The report on the BBC just now

Is it normal to give out a helpline number? I mean as in “if you are affected by anything similar”, not the separate number they gave if anyone wants to contact police specifically about this rapist.

NY Post already running the story with a headline about the number of heterosexual men raped.

Just watching this on the BBC news. I don't remember Warboys being given anywhere near this airtime. I can't remember the sexuality of female rape victims being considered either. I don't think that the report is over the top or that this man should not be locked up for a very very long time, but we should be just as outraged by the rape of women.

I'm not sure why the poor woman in Cyprus who's been apparently locked up for reporting gang rape hasn't triggered the Foreign Office to advise against travel to Cyprus, if it had happened to men I wonder how differently it would be treated.

I’m not sure which cases we’re allowed to talk about but one famous one, I thought the female victim didn’t know either and it was detected by police, but she was still treated appallingly in court and the media.

Yes I was thinking of the same one.