Crime and Deviance (Domestic violence)

There is no typical domestic violence victim. There are no characteristics or criteria that exist to help individuals notice these victims and their cry for help. Victims of such abuse don’t look a certain way or love in certain areas of town. These individuals live upon us and look no different than any other man in this world. Male domestic violence victims could be older men who have been in the same violent relationship for years, they could be young men in high school or even younger who are being battered by young women they are currently in a relationship with. When domestic violence against male victims is being examined we must also include men in homosexual relationships, although this isn’t the basis of the research in this paper; the same rules apply for these victims as well. No matter what the victim’s characteristics or personality traits are no one should be mistreated by another person, especially a loved one or partner. In order to examine or understand intimate partner abuse against men we must first look at the statistics and information of such violent cases not only for research purposes but to also raise awareness which will eventually help lead to prevention. As stated on about.com in a section concentrating on men’s health and intimate partner abuse, in 2002 twenty four percent of the United States homicides that were results of domestic violence were male victims. Although this may seem small compared to the seventy six percent of intimate partner abuse female victims, the problem still exist and should be prevented before it becomes and even greater epidemic. A study in 1980 was conducted to show the rate of severe violence by men and women. In 1985 the rate for men was 3.0 down from 3.8, and the rate of women was 4.4 down from the original 4.6. In 2003 the National Crime Victimization Survey reported that twenty two percent of men experienced physical, sexual, and psychological abuse during some point in their life and that children sadly become injured during the domestic disputes. Statistics also show that men of different ethnicities than their partners are at greater risk of being a victim of domestic abuse from their partners than males who are the same ethnicity of their partners. The statistics found about domestic violence against men were not very in depth and were not easy to find. There may be many reasons why women choose to abuse their male partners. The batterers may give excuses and try explain the reasoning behind their abusive ways, some women may even try theories such as learning theories which states that the behavior has been learned and is hard to stop. There are ways for such violent behaivor to stop and gain control. I do not believe that there are enough laws and awareness about intimate partner abuse and while this is very alarming there are ways to begin the process of raising awarness and getting individuals who need help the help they need. Our society needs to change the way we deal with this matter and many others. The following are ways to raise awareness which will eventually lead to stopping this violence all together.

There are many ways to prevent domestic violent or intimate partner abuse. The most affective way to prevent and hopefully stop this vicious cycle is to raise awareness. Other ways to raise awareness would be to find out the root of the problem or become aware of the abusive situation began. Ways to raise awareness and prevention of domestic violence against men range from volunteering at a local safe house for battered men to simply speaking out about the deviant behavior and the pain it causes too many individuals throughout the world. Another way to raise awareness is to campaign about the situation. An individual can begin the fight against domestic violence by influencing government to pass more laws and enact higher penalties for domestic violence batterers. The national coalition against domestic violence is also a great way to raise awareness and aid in the prevention of domestic violence. Raising money or even donating an old vehicle or phone can help the coalition and the victims it tries to assist.
There are many resources about domestic violence against men. Websites such as The National Coalition against domestic violence website has various options for individuals interested in the fight against domestic violence to participate in. The information on this site is helpful for victims of domestic violence and batterers. Spreading the word and getting others involved in the fight against domestic violence is also another great way to help raise awareness which will in turn hopefully prevent further domestic violence cases. Local libraries can also assist in the fight against this growing epidemic by helping individuals find books about domestic violence against men. Anybody experiencing domestic violence, including men, should speak with their health care provider or contact 1-800-799-SAFE, a national domestic violence hotline.