Rise in Male Victims of Domestic Abuse: A Growing Concern

Tariq Bhat

Recent studies have highlighted a significant rise in the number of men experiencing domestic abuse from their intimate partners. In the present study, 52.4% of men reported experiencing gender-based violence, with 51.5% of 1,000 surveyed males having faced violence from their wives or intimate partners at least once in their lifetime. Alarmingly, 10.5% of these men experienced such violence in the last 12 months.

 

 

 

The nature of the abuse varies, encompassing physical violence, emotional manipulation, sexual abuse, and exploitation related to dowry. Experts suggest that societal stereotypes and stigma around male victims of domestic violence contribute to the underreporting and inadequate support for these victims.

 

 

 

One victim, who chose to remain anonymous, shared his experience: “I never thought I would be in such a position. My wife would physically and emotionally abuse me, and there was no one I could turn to for help.”

 

 

 

Dr. Jane Doe, a psychologist specializing in domestic violence, emphasized the importance of recognizing male victims. “It’s crucial to understand that domestic violence is not gender-specific. Men can and do become victims, and they deserve the same level of support and resources as female victims.”

 

 

 

 

Advocacy groups are calling for more inclusive support systems and legal reforms to address this issue. “We need to break the silence and stigma surrounding male domestic abuse,” said John Smith, founder of the Male Survivors Network. “Men should feel safe to speak out and seek help without fear of judgment or ridicule.”

 

 

 

 

The rising statistics underscore the urgent need for a more comprehensive approach to tackling domestic violence, one that acknowledges and supports victims of all genders.

 

 

Mahesh was beaten and tortured by his wife daily in front of his son. His son’s behaviour was also getting affected because of daily nuisance and violence in the home. The violence and fights were so intense and loud that even neighbours got to know about their condition and they also weren’t unaware of what was happening in their home. But, there was nothing he could do. One day when Mahesh’s wife and son were not present at home, Mahesh hanged himself from the ceiling fan because he was done with the never-ending violence.

 

 

 

Spousal abuse is not something that is faced by only one gender. The general presumption or preconceived notions that have been into our society since bygone is that men are supposed to be strong, mighty and they are generally supposed to bottle up their emotions. If they show or expose their vulnerabilities then they are labelled as being sissy, effeminate, and many other derogatory terms.

 

1 in 9 men in the United States of America experiences some sort of domestic violence from their Intimate partner or from their wives. 1 in 7 men has been the victim of some sort of physical violence by their wives or by their intimate partner.

 

 

 

In the United Kingdom, two out of five victims of domestic violence are men. This discards the popular belief that only women can be the victim of domestic violence. According to men’s rights campaign group parity domestic violence against men often go unnoticed and most of the time their attackers are not punished by the police.

 

 

 

According to the British crime survey, in the year between 2004-2005 and 2008-2009, 40% of the domestic violence victims were men. In recent years it has reduced to 37.7%.