By: Teresa Latchford

A Newmarket organization is reaching out to male victims of sexual assault.

The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and supporting surviving victims, received $30,000 from the Archdiocese of Toronto to support the organization’s Help and Hope Project.

It’s a program co-ordinated by therapist Lynne MacDonell that assists male childhood sexual assault survivors.

“For men, it’s even harder to come forward after being abused,” Ellen Campbell, the centre’s executive director, said. “It’s the sheer shame. They feel their manhood is at stake.”

Of all sexual abuse victims younger than 21, 37 per cent are male, according to the National Clearinghouse on Family Violence.

Male survivors can suffer addiction, depression, show distrust and lack the ability to be intimate as well as become suicidal, Ms Campbell said.

Men pull back from society and become isolated, and can lose their jobs and families because they have not sought help.

“(The shame) is something society has put on them because they are often seen as the aggressors,” she added. “The isolation, it destroys them.”

Some male victims will gain the courage to call a woman’s crisis line, but support for males is very specialized and some men may not feel it is what’s needed, she said.

The organization relies on corporate and individual donations, such as the donation from the Catholic Church, which will help fund group counselling sessions, educational workshops and other initiatives.

Support groups are currently offered in several locations, including York, Peel and Durham regions, Toronto and Simcoe County.

If you need help

The Canadian Centre for Abuse Awareness hosts a session for male survivors, their loved ones and the community Nov. 22, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at its office, 1151 Gorham St., Unit 9 in Newmarket.

To register, contact Andrea Priebe at andrea@ccfaa.com. For more information, call Lynne MacDonell at 416-996-4050.