Men Are Victims Too

The issue of domestic violence has been a hot topic since NFL players have made national news for abusing their wives and children.

Women, however, are not always the victims. Men can be victims of domestic violence too.

10 percent of American men fall victim to some type of domestic violence in their lives. This can happen in heterosexual and same-sex relationships, in forms of emotional, physical and sexual abuse. Even threats of abuse can be domestic violence.

“I don’t think male victims are taken as serious as female victims, and I fell like it should be. Any type of violence should be taken serious,” Phylica Carridge, a local resident, said.

Men rarely report domestic violence when they are the victims.

“Men should do the same thing most female would do in the same situation – tell,” Rochelle Adasi-Jantoeh, a first-year PharmD candidate, said.

Men do not report domestic violence due to fear of embarrassment or because of their age  Dillan Olsan, a 25-year-old allied health student, said.

A social experiment conducted a YouTube group called OckTV, illustrates society views on the issue of men as victims of domestic violence.

The video shows bystanders running to the rescue when they see a man verbally and physically assaulting his female companion. But many passersby react nonchalantly, and some even laughed, as a female physically assault a man on a busy sidewalk.  

“It sounds very normal with society,” Carridge said. “That is what most people would do if they see a female beating on a man, laugh and walk by. I believe society feels like males should be dominate and can take care of themselves. He doesn’t need anyone to come and rescue him, compared to a female, who is seen as a weaker vessel, who needs someone to come to her rescue.”

Oslan believes men are raised not to put their hands on women but women are not raised to keep their hands off of men.

“So at times they [females] will get angry enough where they will lash out, but it is not okay for me to retaliate,” Olsan said.

“There is never a reason a female should put her hands on a male, or anyone,” Adasi-Jantoeh said. “As adults, we should be able to talk things out, no matter how angry we are.”

Safe havens for domestic violence are for both males and females.