Domestic Violence that Goes Unnoticed
Women are not the only domestic violence victims. Domestic violence occurs between people in an intimate relationship. According to Denis Campbell’s report published in The Guardian, men form over 40 percent of domestic violence victims (Denis 1). This contradicts the widespread impression by the media and police forces that only women are bruised and battered by men. Assaults by girlfriends and wives have been ignored by the police and media. In (Nicola 6) argument, domestic violence against men takes numerous forms, including sexual, emotional and physical abuse and threats of abuse. Most researchers and human rights defense organizations findings show equal amounts of abuse perpetrated against women and men. However, the government, media and human rights associations pay most attention on the female victims and ignore the male victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence against men should receive the same attention as domestic violence as women because it often goes unnoticed and is not always easy to identify.
Traditionally, domestic violence has been understood as a crime perpetrated against defenseless women by the domineering men. However, research spanning over 40 years has consistently found that women and men self-report issues of domestic violence at similar rates (Nicola 5). In his publication, Nicola argues that domestic violence against men is invisible. But, while more women are being sentenced of domestic violence, it is not easy to discover the true number of male victims in this complex affair. In the modern social world, the number of men representing the domestic violence victims or of people who are injured, assaulted, or killed by their intimate partners is increasing. Today, the number of women’s rights defense associations is very high as compared to that of men’s right defense organizations. Empirical studies conducted by (Stets 26) reveal that the rate of domestic violence against men and women is almost at equal measure. However, the issue of domestic violence against men has attracted less concern from the designated stakeholders. As a result, this has attracted the question: why has domestic violence by women against men gone unreported for so long, and what changes have occurred in the last decade to make the issue of domestic violence against men more visible? The main reason is feminist movement….Continue Reading….