Domestic Violence Toward Men
...not, it is about the mental, verbal, and physical abuse called Domestic Violence. Most often people would think of the victims of this crime as women. The truth is that this crime is not gender specific. “In the United States, not only are women the victims of domestic violence, men are victims as well.” While popular culture is aware of Domestic Violence, not many are aware of the fact that men are abused as much as women. It is unclear for certain why many are unaware of the crimes against men. An understanding of Domestic Violence, the similarities and differences in the crime against men versus women, the causes of the crime, and the impact it has on society may help to explain this social ignorance.
The accepted definition of domestic violence can be questioned, but may help to explain why society is so unaware of the crimes against men in this area. According to “A Dictionary of Sociology” by John Scott and Gordon Marshall they define domestic violence as
Specifically male violence (physical or psychological) against women, the term was popularized by feminists in the 1970s, some of whom established refuges for battered women, and who argued that domestic violence is a reflection of gender inequalities in power and of women's oppression. More broadly, the term encompasses any violence within the family, although violence against children is usually described specifically as child abuse. Typically, the police have been reluctant to intervene in incidents involving domestic violence, preferring to regard the family as a private realm. (2005)
While there is room given for domestic violence to be referred to as ‘violence within the family’, this definition is narrow and states in the very beginning that it is ‘specifically male violence’. Domestic violence was declared the number one health problem in the United States by the US Surgeon General in 1984...
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