We often hear about women being victims of domestic abuse
and assault, but rarely about battered men.
Just like women, men can be victims or targets of verbal,
physical, and even sexual abuse. Statistics say that 40% of domestic violence
victims are male and 2 in 5 domestic abuse victims are male. Men assaulted by
their partners are often ignored by police, watch their attacker go free, and
have less places of refuge to go. More
Info
While there is a lot of help out there for women and
children, the intervention for men in these situations is scarce, if at all.
Living
Well
and Just Tell are
two great organizations that realize the desperate need to help both boys and men
who have suffered through sexual assaults in their lives.
Others like the
West Lindsey Domestic Abuse Service have for the first time hired a
male board member, and now will offer domestic support for men too. Although
this is a change for the better, more change needs to come. Right now in most
places, women and children who are abused are the only ones who can get help
with shelter and food, while men are still left alone and out in the cold to
fend for themselves.
Due to this
crisis, many men suffer in silence, afraid to speak up. Either due to
stereotypes put on them, or just because no one listens or wants to help. Being
abused can be humiliating and embarrassing for anyone, but especially for men. Read Story
Ian Burly, 46, who is nearly 6 feet tall and a mountain
of a man, compared to his partner Michelle Williamson just 5 feet. But the
abuse Burly suffered by Williamson, is incomprehensible. Over the course of a
year, Williamson scalded him with a steam iron, poured boiling water over his
genitals, thrust lit cigarettes up his nose and stubbed them into his chest,
and she smashed a gin bottle in his mouth — on top of numerous every day punches
and beatings she threw at him. Instead of reporting it, Burly felt ashamed and
embarrassed, so he hid it from everyone. Read
Story
Royce Ali, 45, is a victim of domestic violence too. But
thankfully he reported the abuse. And his partner of four years, Andrea Madden,
29, was found guilty of “wounding with intent”, for stabbing him repeatedly,
and is now serving a seven year sentence. He says he was addressing an issue
with her about taking too many diet pills. A heated argument erupted. She grabbed
a 10 inch blade, and began cutting his arm and chest. “No one should put up
with domestic violence, man or woman,” Mr. Ali says. Read
Story
I can’t agree with him more.
Another incident involved Noreen Jessamine
Weetra, 35, a mother of seven, who, she claims, was choked by her husband. She
stated that in self-defense, she grabbed a knife, stabbed, and killed him.
However, according to an earlier report, she’s no innocent woman either, having
a past conviction of domestic violence herself which was suspended after only
serving five years. Obviously both she
and her husband needed help. Read Story
Kids are even
getting caught in the crossfire in domestic abuse. One daughter says her father
always called police about his ex-wife, "She
constantly harassed us, with threatening phone calls. She threatened to burn
our house down, kill us, left messages on machines threatening my daddy, and trespassed
on the property at his job." Read Story
Something
needs to be done and soon. Our legal system is lacking. If we aren’t able to
bring the help, healing, and aid that these victims need, we’ll see even more
abuse or worse!
Abuse Bites is a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness, educate, and bring safety,
prevention, and healing methods to victims, bystanders, and abusers. Our goal
is to offer FREE HEALING WORKSHOPS.
Please support our cause today.
Written by: Lisa Freeman, Founder
& CEO of Abuse Bites, Lifelong Abuse Survivor & Advocate, Award-Winning
Author & Speaker, Certified Pet Therapist & Dog Trainer
More Info /Help On Men’s Domestic Violence
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