( CNN ) -- It is a well known fact that during times of war , women are often subjected to increased sexual violence . Less well known is that the same is true for men . Sexual violence against men is not limited to any particular part of the world . It 's not confined to a state 's armed forces or to rebel groups . Victims are civilians as well as detained soldiers . Perpetrators are male and female , and the sexual violence comes in different forms . When the words `` sexual violence '' are mentioned , most people instinctively think of rape . While men are indeed raped , they are also subjected to a whole host of other atrocities . In some wars , castration is prevalent ; in others , male detainees are stripped of their clothes and forced to remain naked ; in still others , beating of the genitals is commonplace . Male victims have also been forced to rape other victims , sometimes even members of their own family . Take the civil war that is currently going on in Syria . There have been numerous reports of sexual violence , including sexual violence against men . Just last month , the U.N. Commission of Inquiry reported that sexual violence was being perpetrated against men and women in detention centers . In an earlier report , the Commission noted instances of rape , electric shocks to the genitals and forced rape of family members . And Syria is just one example . Research has shown that sexual violence has been committed against men in dozens of wars . In the last few years alone , there have been reports of wartime sexual violence against men , for example in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic , as well as in situations of instability , for example in the 2007-2008 post-election violence in Kenya . Only a few studies have been undertaken on the subject , but the results of these are astonishing . One study , published in the Journal of the American Medical Association , found that 32.6 % of the adult male combatants surveyed in the Liberian conflict had experienced sexual violence . Another study , this time relating to the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo , found that 23.6 % of the men surveyed reported experiencing sexual violence , of which 64.5 % were exposed to conflict-related sexual violence . Not all conflicts will generate such high numbers , but even lower figures should be worrying . Indeed , there is likely an underreporting of male wartime sexual violence , akin to the underreporting of sexual violence generally . This is due to the shame , fear , guilt and stigma felt by victims . Despite the prevalence of sexual violence against men for many years , the silence on the issue has been deafening . In the last decade or so , there has been some limited progress . Today , there is often acknowledgment that men are subjected to sexual violence during wartime , and there are occasional media reports on the subject . In official reports , however , all too often , the issue is mentioned only in passing or is relegated to a footnote -- and the principal U.N. resolution on the subject focuses on female victims of sexual violence almost to the exclusion of male victims . Relatively few resources exist to assist male victims , with some organizations limiting their programs to female victims alone . And there have been very few prosecutions involving sexual violence of men before international criminal tribunals . The issue of wartime sexual violence generally has long been neglected . Things have started to change in recent years . However , attention has tended to focus on sexual violence against women and girls . That is an incredibly important issue , but it is imperative that other victims are not left behind . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sandesh Sivakumaran .
Male victims of sexual violence during war are less well known than female victims . Men are subjected to other atrocities as well as rape , says Sandesh Sivakumaran . Syria 's civil war is just one example of where such atrocities have been reported . Research shows women have been victimized in terms of rape , says Sivakumaran .