Mumbai: At a time when India is trying to combat sexual violence against women, the country remains relatively blind to sexual violence against boys and men, as official statistics reveal.

Perhaps this is one reason that has prompted actress and producer Poorna Jagannathan, of the Nirbhaya play fame, to bring American writer and performer Martin Moran’s acclaimed one-man shows to India.

“I’m hoping, like Nirbhaya did, these plays too can pry open this difficult yet vital conversation,” she says. “I strongly believe that ending sexual violence against boys is one of the key to ending the cycles of violence.”

She hopes the plays will spark a debate on the much-needed conversation — that of the epidemic of sexual violence against boys.

This November, audiences in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi will get an opportunity to see Moran’s award-winning plays — The Tricky Part, one of the most heralded and powerful one-man plays in recent memory and All The Rage, which is a complimentary piece. Both plays are testimonial in nature drawn from Moran’s real life experiences.

Deftly crafted by director Seth Barrish who, along with Jagannathan, will be touring as well, Moran offers a firsthand perspective on sexual abuse, being a victim himself as a 12-year-old.

Full of complexity, honesty and surprising humour, Martin’s shows leave audiences transformed and deeply engaged with a subject matter previously inaccessible to most.

From the Indian standpoint, what these plays will bring into focus is the enormous problem facing the country.

A study by the Ministry of Women and Child Development called “Study on Child Abuse India 2007” came out with some startling findings.

It said, “Out of the total child respondents, 53.22 per cent reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse that included severe and other forms. Among them 52.94 per cent were boys and 47.06 per cent were girls.”

It also said the abuse started at the age of five years, gained momentum at 12 to 15 years and then started to decline.

“This means that children in the teenage years are most vulnerable.”

The ministry also emphasised that around 70 per cent of abused children never reported the matter to anyone. Human Rights Watch, also acknowledges that in majority of cases, abuse remains under-reported because children are reticent to raise a voice and if they do, often caregivers themselves hush them up.

If the statistics were to be broken down, it “means half of all boys in India are exposed to an unwanted sexual interaction,” Jagannathan said.

“It’s mind-boggling. But the culture of extreme shame surrounding male sexual abuse prevents survivors from seeking help or healing.

“Most times, violence is internalised and cycles of abuse just continue.”

The 80-minute long plays will be first staged in Mumbai from October 30 to November 2, 2014 at the National Centre for Performing Arts and Prithvi Theatre, then in Bengaluru on November 11 and 13 and reach Delhi to the India Habitat Centre on November 15 and 16.