15/06/2026
Today marks the start of Men’s Health Week, a time to raise awareness of the physical and mental health issues affecting Australian men, and open a dialogue about treatment and prevention.
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (2023) found that almost 19% of Australian men experienced sexual abuse in childhood - that’s over 2 million men.
As a victim-survivor of sexual violence you are welcome to reach out to Pheonix House if you need support.
Referrals can be made on our website or call 4153 4299.
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Today marks the start of Men’s Health Week, a time to raise awareness of the physical and mental health issues affecting Australian men, and open a dialogue about treatment and prevention.
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (2023) found that almost 19% of Australian men experienced sexual abuse in childhood - that’s over 2 million men.
For 82% of these men, the perpetrator was known to them, with 32% offended against by a family member, and 33% by a person known to them in an institutional setting (33%).
Men are also more likely to delay disclosure for many years, with many never disclosing at all.
A 2025 research article titled Male Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse: A Review. Trauma Violence Abuse (Wyles, P, et.al.) found several factors may contribute to men not disclosing or delaying disclosure.
👉 Socially defined gender roles - the norms of masculinity, developed and reinforced from childhood to adulthood.
👉 Gender roles - a male understanding of what ‘being a man’ means (i.e., strong, self-reliant, not a victim).
👉 Shame and fear - many male victim/survivors fear they will be viewed as homosexual or weak, and others are concerned they will be perceived as at risk of sexual offending themselves.
👉 Confusion - some male victim/survivors are confused about the nature of the abuse and/or are not able to articulate what occurred. Furthermore, they may have been told by their abuser that this is a normal part of their childhood sexual experiences/sexual development or minimised the abuse as sexual exploration or experimentation.
We must have more conversations around how child sexual abuse affects male victim/survivors, and how delayed disclosure and help-seeking can prolong and exacerbate men’s physical and mental ill health.
If you need support or advice around child sexual abuse, please reach out to Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 (Mon to Fri, 8:30am - 4:30pm).