Domestic Violence Against Men and Women
Domestic Violence against Men and Women
Sandra Marable
Kaplan University
CM-220
Professor Freiteg
May 20, 2013
Whenever the thought of domestic violence comes to mind, more than often the visual picture is a women or a child. However, there is another side that has been ignored because it is pushed under the rug. The unfortunate fact is that men are the victims of domestic violence at least as often as women are. While the very idea of men is being beaten by their wives or partners runs contrary to many of our deeply ingrained beliefs about men and women, female or male violence against men is a well-documented phenomenon almost completely ignored by both the media and society (Watson 2013). The majority of male victims do not report being abused because of the fear that people will not believe them. Men are also silent on the issue because of society’s automatic perception that men are physically stronger and should easily be able to overcome a female attacker. Countless stories tell of men who are physically abused by women calling the police only to be arrested themselves when the police arrive. One story tells of a man being driven to the hospital by the police after his wife struck him with a frying pan as he slept; the wife was not arrested. Many men who experience violence from their wives during marriage are advised not to bring up such incidents in their divorce proceedings because the court may consider it an act of violence against the wife. In these cases, perception takes center stage and allows women to get away with abuse while men pay the unjust consequences.
The children isolate themselves, want go to school, lying to protect the family, acting out, even bed wetting. In the long run those children that are witnessing the violence can be come abusive themselves. “A family under stress produces children under stress” (Ackerman & Pickering1989). In America about 3 million children witness some type domestic
Sandra Marable
Kaplan University
CM-220
Professor Freiteg
May 20, 2013
Whenever the thought of domestic violence comes to mind, more than often the visual picture is a women or a child. However, there is another side that has been ignored because it is pushed under the rug. The unfortunate fact is that men are the victims of domestic violence at least as often as women are. While the very idea of men is being beaten by their wives or partners runs contrary to many of our deeply ingrained beliefs about men and women, female or male violence against men is a well-documented phenomenon almost completely ignored by both the media and society (Watson 2013). The majority of male victims do not report being abused because of the fear that people will not believe them. Men are also silent on the issue because of society’s automatic perception that men are physically stronger and should easily be able to overcome a female attacker. Countless stories tell of men who are physically abused by women calling the police only to be arrested themselves when the police arrive. One story tells of a man being driven to the hospital by the police after his wife struck him with a frying pan as he slept; the wife was not arrested. Many men who experience violence from their wives during marriage are advised not to bring up such incidents in their divorce proceedings because the court may consider it an act of violence against the wife. In these cases, perception takes center stage and allows women to get away with abuse while men pay the unjust consequences.
The children isolate themselves, want go to school, lying to protect the family, acting out, even bed wetting. In the long run those children that are witnessing the violence can be come abusive themselves. “A family under stress produces children under stress” (Ackerman & Pickering1989). In America about 3 million children witness some type domestic
References: Ackerman & Pickering, 1989; Corry, "Second Hand Abuse: The Painful Legacy of Witnessing Domestic Violence," Domestic Violence Training Manual, 1994 Coker, A. L., Davis, K. E., Arias, I., Desai, S., Sanderson, M., Brandt, H. M., & Smith, P. H. (2002). Physical and mental health effects of intimate partner violence for men and women. American journal of preventive medicine, 23(4), 260-268. http://scholar.google.com.lib.kaplan.edu/scholar?hl=en&q=domestic+violence+ag ainst+men+and+women&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C10&as_sdtp= Graham-Kevan, Nicola. "The Invisible Domestic Violence against Men." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 07 April 2013. Henning, K., & Feder, L. (2004). A comparison of men and women arrested for domestic violence: Who presents the greater threat? Journal of family violence, 19(2), 69 80. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/B:JOFV.0000019838.01126.7c#page1 Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N. (1998, November). Prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. (NCJ 172837). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/6/2/142.short Watson, Bruce. "A Hidden Crime: Domestic Violence Against Men Is a Growing Problem."DailyFinance.com. N.p., 18 April. 2013. http://www.examiner.com/article/domestic-violence-against-men Domestic Violence and Abuse: Signs of Abuse and Abusive … www.helpguide.org/mental/domestic_violence_abuse_types_signs...