On October 2, Panorama released its two-year-long investigation into claims of grooming and sexual assault brought against ex-CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.
Only a week prior, the news of the documentary’s release had sent ripples across social media, with people everywhere in discussion on who it could be, following a similar documentary being released the previous week which made claims of a similar nature about comedian Russell Brand. Both men haven’t been formally charged with any crime or wrongdoing at this time.
The men who make claims against the ex-CEO Mike Jefferies in the latest episode of Panorama allege that they were groomed and coerced into situations that were sexual in nature, without prior discussions surrounding consent or what to expect at the parties they attended.
One man, who remained anonymous, alleged that his dreams of providing for his family made him vulnerable to a coercive encounter with Jim (a.k.a James Jacobson), who was described by alleged victim David Bradberry as someone who posed as an “agent” or “manager” for Jefferies.
The anonymous man claims that he performed oral sex on Jacobson, thinking the worst of it would be over and that he’d secured a job in Marrakesh – a claim that has been fervently refuted by Jacobson in a right to reply supplied to BBC Panorama. When he arrived in Marrakesh, he claims to have been drugged and raped, which he believes resulted in him contracting the HIV virus.
The claims made by everyone in the documentary are harrowing, with one thing showing up over and over again – coercive behaviour.
What is coercion? Is it a crime?
In the UK, coercion is a criminal offence under Section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 ( described as an “insidious form of domestic abuse”), and the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent).
While these definitions offer a broad understanding of how coercion can take place, researchers have called for more clearly defined interpretations – especially as technology provides new avenues for exploitation, such as intimate image abuse.
As it stands, legally, coercion can be defined as “enforcing rules and activity which humiliate, degrade or dehumanise the victim”. This can present itself in a myriad of ways: from forcing a victim to take part in criminal activity (e.g. shoplifting), to enforcing self-blame in children who are neglected or abused so that they won’t disclose happenings to authorities.
And — when coercion is of a sexual nature you can be found guilty of sexual coercion (under section 4), coercing a person into being present during a sexual activity (under section 5) and coercing a person into looking at a sexual image (under section 6).
According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (2022), an estimated 3.3% of women (798,000) and 1.2% of men (275,000) aged 16 years and over experienced sexual assault (including attempts) in the last year.
Parallels can be seen in the figures presented by the National Sexual Violence Center (NSVC). They report that around 13% of women and 6% of men have experienced sexual coercion in their lifetime (i.e., unwanted sexual penetration after being pressured in a nonphysical way); and 27.2% of women and 11.7% of men have experienced unwanted sexual contact.
How can men be coerced into sex?
While there are multiple examples of how sexual coercion takes place between cis, mixed-sex heterosexual couples where the male is the perpetrator, research “lags” behind when it comes to understanding the experiences of men who have been sexually coerced.
For example, there have been multiple studies that link coercive sexual assault (CSA) with a likelihood of experiencing more forms of sexual assault, such as; violent rape, intimate partner violence and domestic abuse in women – yet, there are little to no studies outlining this for men.
This study, conducted by the National Library of Medicine, highlights this disparity, while also pointing out that it is gay and bisexual men who are most at risk of adult sexual assault, (ASA). It also suggests that gay and bisexual men’s experiences of sexual assault are not dissimilar to women’s experiences.
But, there are limited studies that examine men’s experiences, and with it — a true understanding of how their sexuality might factor into certain vulnerabilities. It’s hard to gauge precisely just how many queer men experience ASA. However, a survey of studies revealed that between 14-20% of gay and bisexual men will experience ASA in their lifetime.
Because of the limited data surrounding male ASA, not much can be linked as to what circumstances allow for coercion to take place. Nonetheless, links have been drawn by some research between substance abuse, sexual promiscuity and frequently engaging in risky sex.
There have also been links made between minority stress and all of the above which is why it is believed that gay and bisexual men tend to experience more coercive sexual experiences than heterosexual men.
The long-short of it is, that until more is done to understand male sexual abuse, we won’t know how pervasive ASA and coercive sexual assault (CSA) is.
How to spot sexual coercion
Because of coercion’s insidious nature, it can be quite hard to know when you’ve found yourself in a coercive situation. The National Domestic Violence Hotline’s resources on coercion outline how to spot sexual coercion.
The list is extensive, and includes examples such as; feeling like you owe your partner something; over complimenting in an insincere way as a means to get something from you; providing drugs and/or alcohol to “loosen” your inhibitions; weaponise your relationship status (i.e. we’re together, why don’t you want to have sex with me); reacts negatively to boundaries and “no”; makes you feel threatened or afraid of the consequences a no could invite; tries to normalise their behaviour.
Regardless of the pressure being put upon you to perform sex acts or engage in any form of sexual activity that makes you feel uncomfortable — even if that is pressure to look at pornography or other people having sex, your no should be enough.
Help and support:
- Rape Crisis services for women and girls who have been raped or have experienced sexual violence - 0808 802 9999
- Survivors UK offers support for men and boys - 0203 598 3898