One in seven men has been sexually molested by another man at some point in his life, according to a study that will be presented next week at the first seminar of its kind on sexually abused men.

"It is very difficult to talk about it," said Irit Nahmani of the The Tel Aviv Sexual Assault Crisis Center.

"Israeli society is based on a masculine ethos - the soldier who can defend himself, the man who knows how to get what he wants. From certain aspects it is even more difficult for a man to experience an assault by another man, than it is for a woman," she said.

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The Association of Sexual Assault Centers will host the day of lectures and presentations on the subject.

Rani Yakir, coordinator of the hotline for sexually-assaulted men, said some 2,200 men called the hotline last year. The hotline for ultra-Orthodox men, which opened three years ago, received 250 calls.

A breakdown of the calls indicates that until the age of 12, the rate of sexual assaults on boys and girls are similar and the assault takes place in familiar surroundings. After that age, the rate of assaults on girls grows higher.