Men are Victims of Domestic Violence, too

When men experience domestic violence (DV), they often have some complications to work out. Who can they tell without being viewed as a liar or a wimp?  How can they get the help they need? It’s a serious issue, because without question, men do wind up on the receiving end of family violence more often than some might imagine.

It’s a Legitimate Problem 

The Center for Disease Control reports that 14 percent of male survey respondents say they’ve experienced serious violence at the hands of an intimate partner at one time or another. The violence listed includes:

• Being punched or kicked;
• Being struck with a heavy object;
• Being slammed against an object;
• Being suffocated or choked;
• Having hair pulled;
• Being beaten;
• Being burned;
• Being threatened with a deadly weapon.

Bias 

When we hear about domestic violence, women are most likely portrayed as the victims, which is a good way to let women know that help is available if they simply report the abuse. But men are more in the shadows:

Men though, like many women, fear they will not be believed if they report the abuse or try to get help. Unlike women, men know there’s a good chance they will be viewed as unmasculine and weak.  In cases where the man is bigger and stronger than his intimate partner, it may be difficult to believe he is being abused. Nonetheless, men are, indeed, abused by domestic partners with some frequency:

• Literally hundreds of studies confirm that when a relationship is violent, women are just as likely to be the aggressor as men. In fact, about four in ten reports of serious violence involving former or current partners were filed by men, most of whom reported being attacked by women.

• We also know that police called to the scene of a domestic dispute are more likely to arrest both individuals when dealing with same-sex couples, while they are more likely to arrest men when dealing with heterosexual couples.

• Furthermore, women are much more likely to be granted a protective order than men.

• Finally, mock juries presented with identical DV scenarios—other than presenting various male and female perpetrators–are more likely to assign blame to men than to women, regardless of who was presented as the aggressor.

Getting Help 

Men who suffer domestic violence may not think there are resources out there to address their situations, but the truth is that the majority of federal funding dispersed to address DV services requires that any victim of abuse be eligible for help. When local shelters are unable to take in male victims of DV, they can assist men in finding alternate sources of help.

The Legal Help You Need 

Are you a man whose partner is abusive, but who is reluctant to get help simply because of your gender?  The experienced Miami domestic violence attorneys at The Law Office of Julia Kefalinos can help.  We listen.  We guide you through your legal options.  Call for a confidential consultation in your office today.