Domestic Violence Against Men

Domestic violence against men is an all too real issue that doesn't get as much attention as it should. There are an overwhelming number of domestic violence statistical data illustrating domestic violence against women. But, there is also plenty of evidence of men being subjected to domestic violence, as well. Some statistics suggest that out of every 100 reported domestic violence cases, about 40 of them are against men.

One of the biggest supporters against domestic violence against both men and women is Patti Austin, the 2007 Grammy award winning singer / songwriter. She was so moved by this "epidemic" that she started the Blue Movement in support of the victims of domestic violence. In fact, she was so moved by the story she saw on Oprah that she wrote a song called "By the Grace of God" as a way to speak out against domestic violence.

The month of October is designated as domestic violence month. As such, it is important for lawmakers and the general population to consider elevating the issue of domestic violence in support of a gender neutral movement. According to one report, there were an estimated 800,000 reported cases of domestic violence against men last year.

Domestic violence whether against men or women should not be tolerated. It's somewhat understandable how women might get a wider audience of support, considering society views them as more vulnerable. And, of course, cases like the Annie Le murder at Yale or the Jaycee Dugard abduction capture the minds of the American populace. The perpetrators for the most part are men, but in the case of Dugard, the perpetrator was also his wife.

What many people fail to consider is that domestic violence against men, like women, happen in many different ways. Let's look at the very visible case of Christopher Savoie. At face value, this may not appear to be domestic violence, but the man is now in jail because his wife abducted their children and took them to Japan. She was U.S. court had issued an arrest warrant for the mother!

According to a report by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, they studied 11,000 men and women involved in domestic violence cases. What they found was that in 50% of the cases, the domestic violence involved both parties. And, an interesting fact, the woman was the first to strike. One other interesting revelation was that when the violence was one-sided, 70% of the time the perpetrator was the woman.

Another interesting statistic shows that domestic violence against men has more than doubled in the last 10 years. The actual numbers are probably even higher, because like in many domestic violence cases, they often are not reported. And, even when reported the victims and perpetrators often change their stories.

No matter how you look at the information, domestic violence against men or women is a bad thing. It's bad for the parties involved, hurts communities and destroys families. Let's all just hope that we find a way to educate everyone of this terrible travesty.