Practice Profile: Male-Targeted, Sexual Assault-Prevention Program

This practice encompasses programs that are designed to reduce the prevalence of sexual assaults by targeting potential perpetrators directly. Programs include components designed to build empathy for victims, break down myths about rape, and train bystanders to intervene in potential assaults. The practice is rated Effective for reducing future intent to be sexually aggressive and for increasing future prevention efforts but is rated Ineffective for reducing actual sexual assault perpetration.

Practice Goals/Targeted Population

Male-targeted, sexual assault-prevention programs are designed to reduce the prevalence of sexual assaults by targeting potential perpetrators directly. Programs (targeting males 18 or older) are generally implemented on college campuses, where there are many reports of sexual assaults (Wright et al. 2018); however, programs may also be delivered to off-campus populations in the community or even to people in prison. Programs may be universal in nature, targeting any group of males (such as members of a fraternity), or the programs may be targeted at high-risk males (such as men who have previously perpetrated sexual assault or men who hold rape-supportive attitudes).

Program Components

Programs often include components designed to build empathy for victims, break down myths about rape, and train bystanders to intervene in potential assault situations. Male-focused interventions may include providing psychoeducation, giving information to increase knowledge surrounding male socialization and how that contributes to sexual assault, and using the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and social norms approach to induce attitude change (Wright et al. 2018).

Components may be delivered through video, lecture, or group discussion format. Trained professional or peer educators lead participants through potential responses to hypothetical scenarios involving sexism, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Discussions may focus on the reasons why and how participants might intervene or not intervene in a situation (Langhinrichsen-Rohling et al. 2011).

Practice Theory

Male-targeted prevention programs target potential perpetrators directly. Although both men and women can be perpetrators of sexual violence, gender-neutral approaches ignore risk factors that are uniquely male (Berkowitz 2002; Black et al. 2011). Men perpetrate most sexual assaults. For example, 98.1 percent of rapes against women are committed by men, and 93.3 percent of rapes against men are also committed by men. Furthermore, mixed-gender programming may put men into the uncomfortable position of feeling blamed or reinforce a male versus female mentality that contributes to sexual assault (Berkowitz 1992).

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, John D. Foubert, Hope M. Brasfield, Brent Hill, and Shannon Shelley-Tremblay. 2011. “The Men's Program: Does It Impact College Men’s Self-Reported Bystander Efficacy and Willingness to Intervene?” Violence Against Women 17:743-59.