Addressing the Needs of Cisgender, Heterosexual Men and Lgbtiq+ Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Scoping Review of Service Delivery and Funding Priorities Among Humanitarian Organizations

Background and Purpose

Approximately 360 million people required humanitarian aid in 2023, indicating an unprecedented level of people needing assistance because of war, climate disasters, or human rights abuses (UN, 2023). While humanitarian aid is intended to alleviate suffering, exposure to sexual violence (SV) in humanitarian settings is a global public health issue linked to PTSD and other psychological and health problems (Marsh et al., 2006). Women and girls are at high risk, with approximately one in five experiencing SV (Vu et al., 2014). The last decade has also seen a focus on other groups, particularly cisgender, heterosexual men and LGBTIQ+ individuals. While prevalence of SV among these groups in humanitarian settings is limited, research demonstrates it occurs often (Dolan, 2014; WRC, 2021). However, humanitarian programming may not always include men and LGBTIQ+ people in its responses. Using an intersectional, gender-relational lens (Myrttinen, 2023), this scoping review examined the extent to which global humanitarian organizations address men and LGBTIQ+ survivors of SV in policy statements. Given the ongoing critique of how men and LGBTIQ+ individuals are represented in SV programming, combining these two groups together for research purposes is warranted. Previous studies of SV have also employed a dual focus on men and LGBTIQ+ individuals (e.g., Kiss et al., 2022).

Methods

Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) methodology for scoping reviews was used to examine grey literature published from 2013-2023. Because humanitarian organizations primarily publish information related to these topics in grey documents (e.g., policy statements, strategic plans), documents were sourced exclusively from the grey literature and did not include peer-reviewed articles. The search strategy yielded 83 documents, in which 47 of the documents met all inclusion criteria. Key data were extracted from these documents, and then data were analyzed using both content and thematic analyses (Vaismoradi et al., 2013)

Results

Seventy-four percent of documents acknowledged either men or LGBTIQ+ individuals as at-risk for SV; however, there was lack of comprehensive discussion regarding these groups. While 38% of documents called for prioritizing at least one of the populations, only 37% of those referencing male survivors, and 29% of those referencing LGBTIQ+ survivors, explicitly addressed their service needs. Three overarching themes were identified: (a) acknowledged but lacking depth, (b) presenting LGBTIQ+ individuals as a monolith, and (c) men as integral to prevention and response but only as allies. Documents on LGBTIQ+ individuals made little distinction among the LGBTIQ+ experience and the importance of tailoring responses to meet intersectional needs. Documents on men emphasized their role as perpetrators and allies, while overlooking that they also experience SV and require specific services.

Conclusion and Implications

This scoping review contributes to growing evidence that men and LGBTIQ+ individuals are frequently underserved by humanitarian programming to prevent and respond to SV. Findings from this study, which, to our knowledge, is the first to systematically present the evidence, suggests it is critical to address these gaps to ensure inclusive service delivery without minimizing the focus on women/girls, especially, currently, when unprecedented numbers of people require humanitarian assistance.