Hospital in Sweden to open first rape clinic for men

The clinic in the Stockholm South General hospital will open in October

A hospital in Stockholm is to open Sweden's first emergency clinic for male rape victims.

The South General hospital already has a walk-in centre which provides urgent care for women who have been raped or sexually assaulted.

But it announced on Wednesday that it would be admitting men and boys from October.

Some 370 cases of sexual assault on men or boys were reported in Sweden last year, Swedish media report.

"The general perception is that men cannot be raped," Dr Lotti Helstrom told Radio Sweden.

She said the subject of male rape was still "extremely taboo" but that it was much more common than most people realised.

Dr Helstrom said that it was important for men to have equal access to emergency care.

The hospital already runs a 24-hour emergency service for female rape victims, providing access to doctors, midwives, nurses, psychologists and social workers.

A spokesperson for the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU) welcomed the announcement.

Inger Bjorklund told The Local newspaper that a clinic focused on men would "contribute to the awareness of experiences of sexual abuse among men".