Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
A United Nations report details the experience of a Ukrainian prisoner of war subjected to rape, forced nudity, beatings, and electric shocks to his genitals during three years of detention, highlighting a troubling pattern of sexual violence against men and boys in conflict settings.
According to the UN Secretary-General’s 2026 report, women and girls accounted for 93% of verified victims of conflict-related sexual violence in 2024, while men and boys made up 7%. However, these figures likely underestimate prevalence among males, as estimates suggest 90 to 95% of sexual abuse against men and boys in conflict settings goes unreported.
Detention facilities are frequently linked to these abuses. In Ukraine, the UN verified 310 cases of conflict-related sexual violence, 280 involving men. These abuses—including rape and electric shocks—have been used to punish, humiliate, or extract information from prisoners of war and civilian detainees.
This pattern occurs in multiple conflicts, though verified cases remain conservative due to limited access to survivors and fear of retaliation. Social expectations around masculinity, homophobia, and limited institutional attention contribute to the underreporting of male survivors. Additionally, men and boys may describe their experiences as torture, complicating identification and support by humanitarian and justice entities.
Research in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo illustrates the scale of the problem, with 23.6% of men surveyed directly reporting sexual violence, nearly two-thirds indicating it occurred in the context of conflict.