Sweden opens an emergency centre for male rape victims. A hospital in Stockholm captured global attention on Thursday with an unprecedented health-care announcement: A new emergency department just opened specifically for male victims of sexual assault.A team of dedicated staffers runs the modest clinic, which was modeled after the city’s half-century-old program for women. Counseling and legal services are wrapped into the medical treatment, funded entirely by taxpayers.

“We saw the need because men are also victims of rape,” he said, “and they often are afraid to come forward because of the stigma.”

Swedish officials said the new clinic fosters a culture of equal care. A small survey from a Swedish advocacy group last year found men weren’t sure where to go after enduring sexual violence.Last year, about 370 cases of sexual assault on men or boys were reported across Sweden, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. The number of “hidden victims,” or those ashamed to seek help, Jonlund said, is probably much higher.”The news seems to be much more interesting abroad,” he said.

In 2013, the Bureau of Justice Statistics surveyed 40,000 American households about rape and sexual violence and found that men reported 38 per cent of such crimes — a dramatic leap from 14 per cent in the recent past.

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