Scotland's rape law doesn't include male victims
Rape in Scotland is defined as "the carnal knowledge of a female by a male person, obtained by overcoming her will." So what happened to Neale Shedden doesn't count. He was raped twice by a stranger in his antiques shop in Edinburgh when he was 21. Now Shedden leads the calls for a change: "This crime must be recognized in law. ... [Scotland] can produce legislation on dog fouling, yet it is not doing anything about this while people continue to be raped." Ali Jarvis, director of the gay and lesbian campaign group Stonewall Scotland, agrees. "There should be an offense of male rape. It should be recognized for exactly what it is and not be dependent on gender," she says. Recent research suggests at least 400 adult men are sexually assaulted in Scotland each year, but campaigners believe the figure is a huge underestimate because victims are often reluctant to report their ordeal to the police. Scotland on Sunday
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