Isn’t it true that women beat men as often as men beat women?
Women do hit men – sometimes, but not always, in self-defense.
But in the vast majority of domestic violence incidents in which
serious injuries occur, men are the batterers and women their
victims. Certainly, all domestic violence is wrong – and the
costs of abuse are huge. Domestic violence fills emergency rooms and
courts, juvenile justice centers and morgues. And the crime in
our homes is contributing to the crime on our streets. Whether or
not there is abuse in your own family, domestic violence IS your
business. Each one of us can and must be part of the solution.
Haven’t advocates exaggerated the prevalence of domestic violence
In this country? Isn’t domestic violence really quite rare?
Domestic violence occurs here and in every community. Every 12
seconds men stalk, beat, kick, and terrify the women they promised to
love. Domestic violence is difficult to measure with precision,
but there is no doubt that it is a costly and devastating problem for
our nation. If you doubt it, spend a night at an emergency
room. Talk with a police officer who answers domestic abuse
calls. Go to court and listen to the women who are forced to seek
restraining orders against their husbands or boyfriends. The FBI
says that domestic violence is the most committed crime in this
country, but the least reported – so any statistics are considered to
be conservative. But, whether there are one million or six
million incidents (the actual estimate in the United States) of
physical abuse against women each year, this is an epidemic we can no
longer ignore. There’s no excuse for domestic violence, and no
excuse for any of us not to help end abuse.
Isn’t it the feminist ideology that causes battered women’s advocates
to portray all men as batterers and women as their helpless victims?
All men certainly are not batterers. We welcome the many men who
are joining efforts to prevent and stop domestic violence. Men
have a critical role to play in ending this epidemic. However, it
is beyond dispute that the gender roles in our society can reinforce
attitudes that lead to violence against women – and certainly fail to
condemn those attitudes. We cannot effectively address this
epidemic if we ignore the impact of gender roles. Battered women
are not helpless victims. Most find remarkable courage as they
seek escape from the violence that threatens their lives and the lives
of their children. We have to do more to help battered
women. Police and doctors, clergy and employers, teachers and
soccer coaches, men and women – you and I –can help stop domestic
violence. And, we must.
If battered women don’t want to leave, what can anyone do?
If battered women stay in abusive relationships, it is because they
lack the support and resources to protect themselves. Nobody
wants to be terrorized and battered, and nobody deserves a home life
filled with abuse. As a society, we have looked the other way for
too long. Domestic violence is an epidemic. In some way, it
affects every community, every workplace, every family. There’s
no excuse for domestic violence – no excuse for men to beat women, and
no excuse for any of us to ignore this any longer. Domestic
violence is our business. Each one of us can and must be part of
the solution.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, June 09 2007 )
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