Is it true domestic violence is not just limited to women, it can happen to men as well,?

Question

Lead author Robert J Reid, MD, PhD, an associate investigator at the Group Health Center for Health Studies, said that even men experience domestic violence, though their trauma is often hidden and understudied...The study, which involved phone interviews with over 400 randomly sampled adult males, came up with some surprising findings.

As many as five percent of the men had experienced domestic violence in the past year, 10 percent in the past five years, and 29 percent over their lifetimes

Answer 1

At the root of domestic violence is the desire to be in control. It is not about gender.

That being said, the majority of reported cases of domestic violence have a woman as the victim. Those of us who work for domestic violence programs know that the public statistics (usually around 3-5% of reported cases are of male victims), don't tell the entire story.

Men are just as afraid as women to report abuse, but there are unique barriers a man would have to overcome:

-The police are trained to focus on the female as the victim. This is in part because it usually is a woman, but we should also remember that law enforcement is a very macho environment and many officers have told me they have a hard time understanding why a man would be so "weak" (which is why most DV programs spend extensive time training officers).

-Our culture says or implies that in a relationship one person (the man) is in charge and another person (the woman) is in submission. If a man is being abused his control is being taken from him, and for most men the feeling of emasculation is more than they want to recognize in public.

-Men may often have more resources (particuarly financial) to end an abusive relationship without the help of law enforcement, district attorneys or domestic violence programs, and this is where we get most of our demographics on DV.

Please also remember that DV is not a heterosexual experience. Men in same s*x relationships can also experience abuse, but on top of everything a hetero man would have to overcome, there is strong homophobic sentiment throughout the majority of our country which would lead many g*y men to avoid letting anyone know. For example, would you call the police if you were still in the closet and your partner said he'd out you if you leave him? Probably not.

According to the USDA 30% of female homocide victims were killed by a current or former partner, while 3% of male homocide victims were killed by current or former partner.

We should also remember that a child who grows up in a violent home (physical or emotional) is a survivor of the violence, often a silent one. Men who witness abuse as children are more likely to be abusive as adults (although this is not an excuse as many men who were abused lead healthy, safe lives).

If you know a man who is being abused, please encourage him to seek assistance. Most domestic violence programs can offer counseling, or at least over the phone assistance, to male survivors. Some of us will even help with emergency housing. We can also provide advocacy if they decide to prosecute.

Many men with children stay for the sake of their children, a common reason women stay. Men also stay because they feel too ashamed to admit they "failed" at their marriage, also a common reason women stay.

Regardless of the gender, please treat survivors with respect. You can call the National Domestic Violence Helpline if you want to find a local program that can help you or someone you know: 1-800-799-SAFE

Answer 2

Its very much True!!

www.saveindianfamily.org

www.498a.org

Answer 3

Yes. definitely. Usually men do not tell anybody that they were victims of domestic violence but still it is true that  most of them are also suffering.

Answer 4

That is very true.  There are not many reported cases of domestic violence against men though, because most of the time the man feels belittled and embarrased to tell anyone what is happening to him.  I mean think about it, you always see shows on tv where a couple is fighting and although the woman may not actually hit the man, she may throw something at him, kick him, whatever.   That is just as much domestic violence and as a punch in the face.  It happens all the time, and I think that the men who have this happening to them should file a report against their abusers.

Answer 5

Yes, it is a very true, very sad reality. Men are socialized to be strong, do not show emotion. So often men are abused by their wives or intimate partners and they do not report the abuse due to fear of being labeled a sissy or weak. So very sad and so very true. I worked for many years at a Domestic Violence Agency.... Men are battered as well and the women are far more vicious and thoughtful in their attacks...

Answer 6

I've lived it.

More over, the law(opinion) is overwelmingly in her favor. While I'm going through divorce I often wounder if I'll end up with anything. She took over $15,000, our family car, everthing from the house, the pets, bankrupt the business(no operating capital is left) and most importantly she took my children 1500 miles away. I haven't seen them for over 5 months and wouldn't dare go there for risk of some trumped up charge. But, I do miss them a lot.

I was on business for five days and came back to this.

Again, men are subject to domestic violence. I have countless witnessed occasions from her against me. However, this is what I've found to be the standard judicial stance :

      ***The man is guilty until proven innocent.***

      ***The woman is innocent until proven guilty.***

Answer 7

yea it is true.in these modern days women are more aggressive and demanding.they too earn huge salaries and so exhibit behaviour that is so unpleasant and violent sometimes to their husbands

Answer 8

Yes its true but more times then not men don't report it cause if a woman is beating the h**l out of him, they don't want to look not manly by reporting it.. but its been known to happen

Answer 9

1.Men rush up enjoy with some one else snd gain goes out whether he

as ork or not

2. A guy comes from abroad gets married takes her there and sends   her bck home

simple cases but unlike the girls at us or some where but in india the poor girl lots of problems

one in 50 one gets divorce

Answer 10

Oh yes it is true have'nt  u heard about cases  where women have cut off their husbands genitals or in some cases even heads and killed them tobeatthem up black and blue.

Answer 11

That is true, I know two and they are not able to let anybody know about it because they think a guy should not go telling about what happens at home

Answer 12

It seems to be true.  The problem is that a man will always be seen as someone who couldn't be a victim.

Answer 13

Yes, I believe it's true that men suffer domestic violence and that it is under reported.  Somehow, society seems to accept it when a woman becomes angry and slaps a man or throws something at him.  Let a man do the same thing to a woman and he'll find himself in jail.  I think it probably has something to do with the stereotype that men are supposed to be the stronger s*x.  I'm sure that many find themselves too embarrassed to admit or report that they have been abused by a woman.

Answer 14

Majority of sufferers of domestic violence are females.

Answer 15

YES IT CAN!!!

Answer 16

OF COURSE men can also be harmed in domestic violence!

I know of a couple personally!  The women were the meanest, ugliest human beings as the mean ugly men who harm women!  

There was one lady in a small town I lived in.  She beat so many men up and sent them to the hospital.  Men would be with her, because they feared NOT being with her!  This is as sick as the men who control others actions, love, and supposed needs.

Answer 17

yes its true

Answer 18

yes, it is true but men who are abused rarely want to speak up because it is not "masculine".

it should not make any difference whether the abuser is male or female.  they both need to be stopped and jailed.

if you are going to hurt someone, you should get your punishment.