When the subject of domestic violence is discussed, most people will assume that it is women who are the victims.

By JéWana Grier-McEachin –

Men can also be victims of domestic violence. It is important to remember that the gender of the victim is not important. It’s the fact that one person in a relationship believes it is fine to hurt the other person in the relationship that we need to focus upon.

A survey taken by the Centers for Disease Control in 2010 showed that 40% of the victims of severe physical domestic violence were men.

Why are men so silent when it comes to domestic violence? It might just be because there is a societal impression that men are supposed to take care of themselves. Men are supposed to be stronger and be able to subdue women. If they are unable to do so and are abused, then it is not uncommon for people to blame the man for becoming a victim instead of seeking out justice for him.

Have you ever heard or thought of these statistics?

• 63% of males, as opposed to 15% of females, had a deadly weapon used against them in a domestic violence incident.
• Only 15% of the domestic violence that is reported to law enforcement officials is against men.
• 835,000 men are estimated to be assaulted by an intimate partner every year.
• 1 out of every 14 men has been physically assaulted at least once by a current spouse, significant other, or person they have dated.
• 23% of men have reported that they were physically or sexually assaulted by their male intimate partner.
• 7% of men reported a domestic violence incident by a wife or female cohabitant.
• One in seven men, age 18+ in the US, has been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in his lifetime.
• Domestic violence by an intimate partner affects more than 12 million people every year.
• Men experience psychological aggression from an intimate partner just as often as women do.
• Between 1994-2010, about 20% of the victims of intimate partner violence were men.
• Up to 10% of men have experienced stalking by a former partner within the last 12 months.
• 3% of nonfatal violence against men by intimate partners occurs every year.
• In the year 2000, 440 men were killed by their intimate partner. Since then, 4% of male murder victims come from domestic violence incidents. When an intimate partner has access to firearms, the chances of domestic violence increases by five times.
• Husband’s account for 19% of all people who were killed by their spouse.

Whether it is stigma, stereotype, or the fear of a slippery slope that impedes action and resources for men who suffer, awareness is the first step to advocacy. It might take some time for society to change its point of view, but that doesn’t mean that each community can’t begin finding ways to support male victims of domestic violence right now.