Male rape was made a criminal offence in 1994 but even today some victims remain invisible, too afraid to admit what they have endured.

Once upon a time Todd had three brothers. Today, he is the only one left. The other three have all committed suicide.

They were unable to bear the agony of living with the trauma of being serially abused by staff at the care home where they were sent when Todd was 18 months old.

There, instead of finding the love and trust they needed, they were subjected to almost 16 years of sexual abuse. It has taken Todd, 45, more than 20 years to find the courage to speak of his ordeal.

He said: "There was nobody who you could tell what was going on and I didn't think there was anyone who would believe me.

"I kept it under wraps until I was approached three years ago by police who were investigating problems at the home.

"I was able to cope with it during that time but my brothers couldn't and two of them committed suicide before the police became involved and the third afterwards."

Todd, who did not want to be identified, thinks although times have changed, victims of abuse still find it difficult to come forward.

He said: "The stigma attached to male-to-male rape is even worse than that attached to rape or abuse between different sexes.

"By nature, men are more reluctant to come forward and admit what has happened because of the macho image.

"People just assume it doesn't happen and, if it does, then people might think it is because they are weak."

Other people often did not know how to respond.

He said: "The time when people can confidently tell others about what has happened to them is still years away and I'm very selective about who I tell.

"People's reactions are often to shy away because they don't know how to deal with it and they have assumed it doesn't happen.

"Who wants to conjure up the image of abuse at a children's home, where you are supposed to be taken care of?

"It also puts a lot of pressure on people when you tell them because they have to work out how to deal with it and support you.

"It is more difficult because I'm gay, so people are sometimes less likely to believe it was rape. But abuse is abuse, whoever it is and whoever it is between."

Despite the increased publicity, such as the storyline in the TV soap Hollyoaks, which dealt with the rape of Luke Morgan, played by actor Gary Lucy, statistics suggest incidents are rarely reported.

Doug Degnin is the manager of Newhaven-based charity Mankind, the only service in Sussex which specifically provides long-term help for victims of male rape and sexual abuse.

In the last year, Brighton and Hove police received seven reports of male rape, yet Mankind gets up to three referrals a week.

Although the charity covers a wider area, Mr Degnin believes there is a shortage of services for men to turn to.

He said: "People who use the service may have been raped in the street, while in care when they were younger, or even when they were in medical care.

"I have worked with a lot of homeless people who have turned to drink or drugs as a coping mechanism because of abuse they have experienced - to blot it out.

"But there is a shortage of funding. I haven't been paid for the past year because we have only £9,000 a year to carry out the service."

He believes similar services for women are given priority. He said: "We don't get any help from central government and we have been specifically told the situation might be different if this was a women's charity.

"That's not to say we won't carry on providing a service and we want people to come forward and get help.

"Men can find it even more difficult to deal with being raped. It is, of course, very traumatic for women but it can sometimes come as more of a shock to men.

"There are particular issues regarding sexuality which are specific to men. People also often assume it is gay men who commit rape but it is more likely to be heterosexuals.

"The important thing is to educate."

Todd believes it is vital people seek help as soon as they can.

He said: "The experience can often take a long time to come out and it may be triggered by something such as a divorce or some severe emotional problems.

"By that time, it might be too late and the problem could have reached crisis point. That is shown by the number of suicides of people who were in care homes and have been raped.

"I would urge people to seek help as soon as possible, from GPs or whoever else, before it is too late. If someone reads this and it prompts them to go to seek help then at least something good will have come out of my experience."

To use the confidential services offered by Mankind, or to help with funding, call 01273 510447 or log on to www.mankinduk.co.uk