Motherhood Moment: Male Victims of Domestic Violence

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men will be observed on November 18, 2022 (1). The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance (DAVIA) invites lawmakers, media representatives, and others to participate in IDEVAM events to be held in locations around the globe.

The following have been accomplished:

Two videos have been produced: “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men” (2) and “46 Groups Call on U.N. to Address ‘Hidden Epidemic’ of Domestic Violence Against Men” (3)
Forty-six organizations from 16 countries sent a letter to the United Nations, calling on the UN to recognize the global problem of violence against men (4).
The UN proposal, “Intensification of Efforts to Eliminate All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls” was analyzed for bias and factual accuracy (5).

Most events for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men will be held at the local level. In Bengal, India, for example, posters stating, “Men Are Victims, Too” will be distributed to police stations in Kolkata (Calcutta).

The International Day will culminate in a one-hour Zoom press conference, beginning at 11:00am Washington DC time. The panelists will consist of leading experts on domestic violence and partner abuse from the United States, United Kingdom, Romania, Argentina, and India.

The following day, November 19, will be International Men’s Day (6).

Domestic violence against men represents a hidden epidemic around the world. A compilation of 343 scholarly investigations concluded that “women are as physically aggressive as men (or more) in their relationships with their spouses or opposite-sex partners.” These studies were conducted on a broad range of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic groups in 40 countries. (7)

Why is it important to raise awareness of violence against men?

Domestic violence is an important problem for both men and women. The Centers for Disease Control reports that females are the predominant perpetrators of partner abuse:

Domestic violence: 4.2 million male victims, compared to 3.5 million female victims each year. Tables 9 and 11. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf
Coercive control: 17.3 million male victims, compared to 12.7 million female victims annually. Tables 4.9 and 4.10. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men on November 18 is an opportunity to highlight the long-neglected problem of domestic violence against men, and assure that abused men can get help. https://endtodv.org/coalitions/davia/idevam-2022/

What are some resources available for male victims of domestic violence?

The National Domestic Violence Hotline has identified four reasons why victimized men are less likely to report the abuse:

Men are socialized not to express their feelings or see themselves as victims.
Pervading beliefs or stereotypes about men being abusers, women being victims.
The abuse of men is often treated as less serious, or a “joke.”
Many believe there are no resources or support available for male victims.

The Centers for Disease Control offers a Fact Sheet on Centers for Disease Control: Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Violence, and Stalking Among Men: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/men-ipvsvandstalking.html

How can couples break the cycle of violence to be able to resolve conflicts more appropriately?

SAVE offers the following resources on Escaping the Abuse: https://www.saveservices.org/victims-and-survivors/healing-tips/