Opinion

Men experience domestic violence too

For those who may not know, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.   

Devonta Sonnier

Devonta Sonnier

Domestic Violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence. 

Other terms for domestic violence include intimate partner violence, battering, relationship abuse, spousal abuse, or family violence. 

It is so typical for women to be put on a pedestal when it comes to these types of sensitive issues. 

But what about the men that experience domestic violence on a daily basis? Are they overlooked because they are males? Why is it way harder for a man to confess to this than a woman? 

Women who abuse men are not much different than their male counterparts who abuse women. Men can be hit, kicked, punched, pushed, or bitten by women abusers. 

Women can also use weapons, such as knives, guns, or any object that can be used to strike. 

Abused men are not necessarily smaller or physically weaker than the women who abuse them. Abused men often do not use their greater size or strength to hurt their abusive partners even when they are being hurt.  

More men than women were victims of intimate partner physical violence within the past year, according to a national study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Department of Justice. According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey released in December 2011, within the last 12 months an estimated 5,365,000 men and 4,741,000 women were victims of intimate partner physical violence. 

Men are victims of nearly 3 million physical assaults in the USA. Nearly 1 in 10 men (10%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner and report a related impact on their functioning. 1 in 7 men (13.8%) aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. 

Men often suffer physical abuse in silence because they are afraid that no one will believe them or take them seriously. In fact, some men who do try to get help find that they are mocked and ridiculed. 

Some men may not confess because they are scared, or do not want anything to happen to their spouse. Most men may be too embarrassed to confess. 

Domestic violence happens in male/female and also male/male households. This is not the appropriate to treat a human being. People are supposed to be treated with love and care. Especially by a person one claims to have so much love for. 

If one cannot trust their partner then who can one trust. This is why depression and low self-esteem is at an all-time high. 

Domestic violence can cause a real strain on a person, and cause serious health problems. Take the violence seriously. Many men are inclined to find it amusing when the "little woman" lashes out at them. Don't hit back. 

If you're an average sized man and your partner is an average sized woman, you can do major damage with a single blow. You will feel much better about yourself if you don't retaliate in kind. 

As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, discussions about intimate partner abuse and its horrible repercussions should not.  

If anyone with this issue seeks help, male or female, contact the Harp Treatment Center at (561) 257-0506 or reach them by website at harptreatmentcenter.com.

 

Devonta Sonnier is a sophomore mass communication major from New Orleans, Louisiana.