An alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old male is sparking debate in Canada and around the world after it was revealed that the suspects being sought in connection with the crime are four women in their thirties.
The crime reportedly took place on March 31st near a nightclub in downtown Toronto. The victim told police he left the club in the early morning hours and was offered a ride home by the suspects.
However, instead of taking him home, the women drove the man to parking lot where they proceeded to sexually assault him.
Following the attack, the man was driven away from the scene and then ordered to exit the car — "a silver Honda SUV-type vehicle."
The suspects were described as being four white females in their thirties, each approximately 5'4" in height and weighing between 190 and 200 pounds.
They were all dressed in short black dresses and high heels at the time.
The victim also noted that the driver had short blond hair and a tattoo of wings on her nape. She may also have had a British accent. Another woman was said to have long dark hair that was dyed red "at the bottom."
"Although the majority generally is females that are victims or complainants, it is not completely unusual for a male to be the victim of a sexual assault," said Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit detective Thomas Ueberholz.
Some 8% of all adult sexual assault victims in Canada were men, according to a 2003 report, but that number might actually be much higher.
Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres coordinator Nicole Pietsch said stigmas often prevent men from coming forward.
"Other men will say for example, ‘Oh, he's so lucky,' like that was actually a positive thing when it wasn't," she told the National Post. "I think that that just feeds into the myth that sexual violence is something the victim wants."
Toronto is known, among other things, for being the birthplace of the now-global SlutWalk protest marches.
The first SlutWalk protest took place in the city's Queen's Park after a Toronto Police officer suggested women could avoid being raped by not "dressing like sluts."
[tweet via @TorontoPolice]