Victims of Violence

"Shortly after the PSS's release, the New Zealand Herald reported on a new study. Where only one partner in a relationship is violent, it is more likely to be the woman, University of Otago researchers have found. Researcher Kirsten Robertson, of the university's psychology department, said the finding indicated a change of thinking was required on domestic violence."

"Violence against men most often took the form of a brute physical attack rather than a sexual assault/threat. When perpetrated by another man, the assault occurred "at licensed premises (34 percent) or in the open (35 percent), however if the perpetrator was female then 77 percent of the physical assaults occurred in the home."

It will surprise most people to know that men comprise roughly one half of all of the spouse abuse victims in the United States. International studies show that this is true throughout most of the world

"anyone who campaigns to prevent violence against women should vigorously applaud similar efforts directed toward men."

It has been suggested that Australian men need to launch a ‘Reclaim the Night’ event. The facts speak for themselves Australian men are twice as likely as women to become victims of physical violence or of threats thereof (11 percent of men; 5.8 percent of women). For the population between eighteen and twenty-four years of age, men were almost three times as likely (31 percent of men; 12 percent of women). The people who are at the greatest risk of violence are young males.

So while a program focused on ending violence against women is admirable, shouldn’t anti violence campaigns reject all violence, not simply that which affects only half the population. Recent research has busted the myth that women are less violent than men, and as feminism has taught us women can do anything, and this also includes being violent.

The fact that the ratio of male and female batterers is close to 50/50 - and that women are as likely to instigate violence as men. Programs that urge us to cease violence toward women may be well intentioned but leave me with the impression that it is ok to be violent toward men.

Men are conditioned to protect women and children not other men. Also part of the male conditioning is to deny any weakness so men are loath to admit they need help because it contradicts fundamental social conditioning.