ABSTRACT
Whenever the issue of domestic violence is discussed, its main focus has always been the women as sufferers and men as abusers. Nevertheless, almost 85% of the victims are women and mostly by male abusers. But this doesn’t mean that men cannot face domestic violence and violent female partners don’t exist; they do. It is difficult to confirm the exact numbers of male victims for several reasons, one of the reasons is that domestic violence cases are not reported by victims because many of them feel afraid and embarrassed to disclose. And many victims don’t even recognize at the time that what they’re experiencing is abuse. This research paper began with the basic introduction of domestic violence followed by the literature review. Further, this paper contains detailed study on different forms of intimate partner violence faced by sufferers including the consequences of domestic violence in general. This paper examines the reasons why male victims of intimate partner violence may refuse to ask for support in an abusive relationship. Moving forward this research paper attempts to give its main focus on the repercussions of domestic abuse on male victims. Based on the research, some suggestions are provided for the changes that can help the victims.
KEYWORDS
Domestic violence, male victim, intimate partner violence, domestic abuse,
INTRODUCTION
Domestic Violence is a terrible act which leads to the violation of human rights. The intention behind the act of violence is to cause harm or injury to anyone. When this violence takes place within the family members, it is known as Domestic Violence. The term “Domestic Violence” is used when there is a strong connection between the abuser and the victim. Domestic Violence can be physical, sexual or psychological.
Domestic Violence is also called “Domestic Abuse” or “Intimate Partner Violence”. It is an outline of conduct within the family members that is used to keep power over an intimate partner.
It is generally believed that domestic violence is only related to women and that it only affects women. But, they forget that men of all ages also suffer from Domestic Violence. It is a problem where people of all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations get affected.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research paper is based on the doctrinal method as the secondary sources like books, websites, blogs posts are referred to while writing the paper. Qualitative data is used in this research to demonstrate and explain the topic for the purpose of the study, descriptive and analytical methods have been used along with the help of secondary sources.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
“Male Victims of Domestic Violence”, by D. G. Dutton & K. R. White
The research paper written by Dutton and White thoroughly analyses the situation of men as victims in domestic violence. It examines the concept of ‘gender paradigm’, where male victims frequently face incredulity or distrust whenever they try to seek protection from female partners or professional help. It provides important insights into the reasons why men do not consider intimate partner violence as a crime and do not report it to the police. This research provides critical insights into the situation where male victims are not considered as important as female victims. Furthermore, this research shows that the conventional image created by the gender paradigm is potent; both groups consider an indistinguishable behavior when done by a male to be more violent and mostly involve police interference.[1]
TYPES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- PHYSICAL ABUSE – Physical abuse can include beating, biting, scratching, burning or using weapons such as knives or guns against the victim. It is not compulsory that violence causes injuries or not. Physical abuse can sometimes be a less serious type such as shoving or pushing but a seemingly less serious violence can cause the most serious injuries.[2] Physical violence can also include refutation of medical help, sleep disorder and coerced use of drugs or alcohol.
- PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE – Psychological assault is a type of domestic violence which is related to post traumatic disorder, depression, substance misuse, anxiety etc. An abuser can take advantage of the victim’s mental health by telling them that “no one believes him/her”, giving them an overdose, by telling them that “she/he is mental”, etc.[3] There are various forms of emotional abuse like threat of cruelty and destruction, attacks against property or pets and other acts of bullying, emotional abuse or segregation (controlling victims’ time, activities and contacts).
- SEXUAL ABUSE – Sexual assault or sexual abuse can include forced sex where the victim is not ready to do so, coerced sex by exploitation or menace, physically forced sex or violent sexual assault. Some abusers attack their victims’ genitals with weapons. For some victims this sexual violence run deep and can be difficult to talk about. Some victims are not sure if this sexual behavior is actually a violence or not.
- ECONOMIC ABUSE – Monetary abuse is a form of domestic violence in which an abuser attempts to control or use the financial resources of the victim. It means an abuser can prevent their victims from making money. And ultimately, this leads to financial dependency and leaves the victim with limited options.[4]
- DIGITAL ABUSE – Digital or cyber abuse is a form of domestic violence that occurs through internet and digital devices. It includes online harassment, cyber bullying etc. For example, sharing photos or videos of a victim without his/her consent.
EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
- PHYSICAL EFFECTS – In addition to body harm, other physical consequences of domestic violence include chronic fatigue, problem in breathing, muscle issues, involuntary shaking, changes in appetite and sleeping habits, etc. However, in addition to injuries and perhaps much more often, illnesses that often have no identifiable medical cause or are very tough to cure. They are sometimes referred to as ‘functional disorder’ or ‘stress – related problems’ etc.
- MENTAL EFFECTS – Evidence shows that victims of intimate partner abuse suffer more from depression, anxiety and phobias than those who are not victims. Reports of emotional suffering, suicidal were remarkably higher among females who had ever faced physical or sexual abuse than among those who had not[5]. Additionally, domestic violence has also been associated with alcohol and drug abuse, eating and sleeping disorders, physical inactivity, low self esteem, self harm etc.
- FINANCIAL EFFECTS – Due to the financial abuse and isolation of the victim, they generally have inadequate money and there are not many people ready to help them. It has been found to be one of the most complicated tasks for domestic abuse survivors to conquer, as well as the most prevailing factor that can prevent them from going away from their abusers. Victims of domestic violence and abuse often face deficiency of the monetary funds and special qualities needed to find work. One of the most common causes of homelessness is domestic violence.
- EFFECTS ON CHILDREN – Domestic violence in the family circle is frequently connected with other imperative risk factors for child development such as poverty, female headed households and low levels of primary caregiver education. Children living in aggressive households are also at risk of physical injury. Children usually become the accidental sufferers of violence which initially started between adult family members. The risk of child’s sexual and physical abuse increases due to domestic violence. Children living in a violent environment can face problems related to not only physically but also emotionally and psychologically.[6]
EFFECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON MALE VICTIMS
One of the most controversial topics in domestic violence research is the level and significance of violence by men’s female partners. Information related to domestic violence has mostly focused on females as the sufferers and males as the abusers. Domestic violence against men usually goes unnoticed because men don’t admit or inform such experiences due to humiliation, fear of mockery and lack of support services. It is a taboo that society usually disregards or downplays, which means that the scope of the issue remains unidentified. Therefore, health care professionals are unable to help male victims of domestic violence in their health and other societal needs.
The results of the National Family Violence Survey, first done in 1975 and repeated in1985, specify that about 12% of husbands and wives were sufferers of spousal violence.[7]
The seemingly double-sided nature of intimate partner violence has caused some to argue that husband abuse is frequent and mostly unnoticed, with men being abused as often as women simply because they are affected so often. Some authorities have incorporated that there are 2 types of intimate partner violence – occasional outbursts of two way violence and male dominated terrorism, upon which mostly domestic violence research has been done. Although several studies have found that there has been a lot of information about women who have been hurt, there is little information about the men who have been hurt by their female partners.
Studies have shown that men always hesitate to ask for help for both mental and physical difficulties, in comparison to women. Society is not even ready to accept men as survivors of domestic violence and consider this as a big issue. When men talk about their abusive incidents, they are typically dealt with blatant partiality and ruthless statements.[8]
REASONS FOR MALE VICTIMS NOT COMING FORWARD
Certain cultural values and norms also directly affect men’s behavior such as avoidance of shame and emotional self –control, etc. It is believed that a man’s reputation is lost when he does not fulfill the basic requirements that are set for man’s position. Whenever male victims try to seek help the main problem which comes in the way is the contraction of their manly identity with their incidents of being a victim of domestic violence.
Although men have this image of “tough macho men” but contrary to this they have feelings of shame, embarrassment and humiliation and all these factors stop abused men from speaking out.
Sexual violence related problems against men are known to the whole society. Many organizations at international level have acknowledged these problems in their publications and their personnel show great individual sensitivity and concern. Despite this, sexual violence against men remains largely underreported.
There is less data available related to the extent and nature of domestic violence against men and their repercussions for the survivors. And at the individual level, this collective ignorance results in lack of help and assistance.
Although some international courts have included men as victims in the definitions of intimate partner violence but still there are many countries where male victims are not included in the definitions of sexual violence, especially in cases where homosexual activity leads to legal sanction.
There are many forms of conflict that can occur due to the sexual violence against men and boy, such as interstate wars to civil wars to local conflicts, and in any cultural context.[9] The consequences of domestic violence against men can affect the man’s sense of self, leaving him with no help or frustration.
The effects of domestic violence on men can be categorized under the following heads.
- LOW SELF – ESTEEM – Research has shown that victims of domestic violence tend to struggle with low – self esteem for some time. The toxic behavior from a toxic partner may affect male victim’s mind. Therefore, it is usual for a violence to be fought with low self esteem. It would be difficult of a male victim to accept the compliments and to socialize. This low self esteem eventually affects every single aspect of his life. His productivity may be reduced, he may struggle to convince the potential investors next time, and his dating scenario may decline. And this will have bad repercussions.
- TENDENCY TO CONTINUE THE CYCLE – There is a popular quote that says “hurting people hurts people”. Regarding male domestic violence in marriage, this quote is 100% true. When domestic abusers enter into a new relationship without addressing their traumatic experience, they tend to repeat the same cycle they experienced from their previous toxic relationship. As a result, he starts to get upset too much, misinterprets all nice gestures of his partner, and can even get physical at different times. On the other hand, the relations of male victims with his other family members would get affected. If it is not checked, it can create conflict between families and break the bond between a man and other family members, such as his children and/or siblings.
- HE BECOMES ANTISOCIAL – Many studies have been done on the male victims and these studies show that it becomes more difficult for men to talk about domestic violence in comparison to women. This shows that mostly male victims try to hide their stories from others and keep their experiences with themselves instead of sharing with others. Many male victims don’t even socialize much after facing these traumatic experiences.
- FEELING OF LEFT OUT – Many domestic violence protection laws are only related to females and children. Due to some reasons, society doesn’t even accept the fact that men can also become the victims of domestic violence and if society does so, there are no ways to help male victims. Given these factors, a man may feel forced to incorporate his pain and construct a medium for himself. Instead of asking for someone’s help, he adopts some very bad activities to ease his loneliness and pain. Hence, many men fall into a contaminated lifestyle when they experience domestic violence. For example, a man may start smoking, drinking.
- DISCRIMINATION AT WORKPLACE – People may look at you in a funny way if you admit in a board meeting that you were a victim of domestic violence or intimate partner violence. This is due to long-standing societal beliefs that a man must always be responsible and take actions. Admitting this can feel depressing. Unless special attention is given, partiality against man would start at the workplace whenever he accepts that he is a victim of domestic violence.
SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
No one deserves to be abused. This can have a debilitating effect on male victims and the abuse should not continue. Hence, we can say that there is an urgent need for laws which are gender neutral because the execution of gender biased laws would be unfair to both men and women.
These attacks on men may be not as common as the domestic violence against women is, but these victims also need some care. It has always been assumed that if a female slaps a male, then he must have done something or that she was encouraged to do so. The same concept applies to men but violence against anybody, regardless of gender, is completely unacceptable and wrong. Though most of the victims are females, it is shocking to hear that men are also victims of similar crimes.
The situation of male victims in domestic violence is generally ignored or not taken seriously, but this is the time that the society and other institutions such as the government should come forward to help male victims by accepting them and creating laws to help them because every human being of all genders has the right to justice.
Systematic data collection is important. Organizations working in conflict-affected zones should strengthen their efforts to ascertain male victims of sexual violent behavior and generate exposure categories for violence that affects male sexuality and reproductive capability. All data must be separated by gender and age. And such a mechanism should be formed where discussions should take regarding providing assistance to men survivors. National and international law should give chance to male victims to represent themselves on the global level. It is time to recognize their problems as a social and public health issue and develop appropriate strategies & actions.
Chandrawati Chouhan,
Rajasthan School of Law for Women, Jaipur
[1] D. G. DUTTON & K. R. WHITE, Male Victims of Domestic Violence, Vol – 2, New Male Studies, 6, pages sited – 6, 7, 12, (2013), https://www.newmalestudies.com/OJS/index.php/nms/article/view/59
[2] A. L. Ganley, Understanding Domestic Violence, Future Without Violence, 2008,
http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/userfiles/file/HealthCare/improvinghealthcaremanual1.
[3] L. M. Howard, Domestic Violence and Mental Health, Vol – 22,5 (2010), 525-34,
http://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21047164/
[4] Healthline, http://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-domestic-violnce/, (last visited Sep. 09, 2023).
[5] World Health Organization, http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77432/WHO_RHR_12.36,(last visited, Sep. 10, 2023)
[6] Gail Horner, Domestic Violence and Children, Vol – 19, Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 206, 2005, http://www.jpedbc.org/
[7] Robert L Muelleman, Male Victims of Domestic Violence and Their History of Perpetrating Violence, Vol – 5, Academic emergency medicine: official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, 866, 1998, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1553-2712.1998.tb02815.x
[8] Cheung, M., Leung, P., & Tsui, V., Asian Male Domestic Violence Victims: Services Exclusive for Men, Vol – 24, Journal of Family Violence, 2009, 447-462, http://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-009-9240-9
[9] W Russell, Sexual Assault of Men and Boys,
http://genderandsecurity.org/sites/default/files/russell_-_SV_agst_M_Boys.pdf (last visited Sep 10, 2023)