Men Are Being Ignored - Resilience & Relationships - Rebecca Saunders, Dylan Yeomans, & Liana LucineMen Are Being Ignored - Resilience & Relationships - Rebecca Saunders, Dylan Yeomans, & Liana Lucine
Resilience in Life and Leadership
Former police officer and trainer Liana Lucine talks with Dylan Yeomans and Rebecca Saunders about how male victims of abuse are frequently overlooked and misunderstood. The conversation focuses on gendered assumptions, the impact of masculinity expectations, and the slow, hopeful work of healing and resilience.
43:39•24 Jun 2026
Men Ignored: Why Male Victims Need to Be Taken Seriously
Episode Overview
- Male victims of sexual assault, harassment, and trafficking are frequently overlooked despite clear evidence they exist in significant numbers.
- Training and education often frame women as victims and men as perpetrators, which harms both genders and hides male victimisation.
- Expectations around masculinity make it harder for men to recognise abuse, talk about it, or seek support without ridicule or disbelief.
- Depression in men can present as anger or rage, so signs of serious struggle and even suicide risk may be misread or ignored.
- Recovery from trauma can take years, and people need space to choose if, when, and how they report or seek help, while holding on to even a small sense of hope.
“We can all be victims and we can all be perpetrators. That’s why we need to be much more flexible in our thinking, much more open-minded.”
What makes a recovery story truly inspiring? This conversation on **Resilience in Life and Leadership** zooms in on a group that’s often sidelined: men who’ve been victims of sexual assault, harassment, and trafficking. Trainer and former UK police officer **Liana Lucine** joins hosts **Dylan Yeomans** and **Rebecca Saunders** to talk about how male victims are routinely overlooked, even by the systems meant to protect them.
She recalls years of police training where “victims” were always described as women and “perpetrators” as men, despite clear statistics showing otherwise. As she puts it, **“We can all be victims and we can all be perpetrators.”** Liana explains how social expectations of masculinity – being strong, coping with anything, never showing vulnerability – make it harder for men to recognise abuse, speak up, or seek help.
She shares stories of men whose disclosures were laughed off or sexualised, including one social worker who realised only years later that what he went through with a teacher was trafficking. Instead of support, he was congratulated. You’ll hear practical thoughts on what needs to change: training that actually includes male victims, school lessons on consent that name boys as potential victims, and media that stops portraying harm as something that mainly happens to women.
The trio also touch on mental health; Liana notes that male depression often shows up as anger or rage, which means many men suffering deeply are missed until things turn critical. Throughout, there’s a strong message of choice and hope. Reporting to police isn’t the only route, and recovery doesn’t have to look like a film-style “one good cry and everything’s fixed”. Healing can be slow, messy, and still full of moments of joy.
If you know a man who shrugs off pain with jokes or silence, could this be the conversation he needs to hear?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.
Related Episodes
Similar episodes from other shows in the catalogue.