The other victims of DV help available for abused Men The other victims of domestic violence
Help is available for abused men — but are they willing to take it?
August 6, 2006
By MEGAN VARNER
Index-Journal senior staff writer
Though local authorities say domestic violence against men is rare in the Greenwood area, national studies show that the crime does occur, and the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 835,000 men are victims of domestic violence in this country each year. Area law enforcement and victims advocate officials said services and help are available for all victims of domestic violence — regardless of gender.
In a 2000 study, the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that more than 2.3 million adults experience domestic violence each year in America, victims of a crime that quietly rages each day within the walls of homes across the country.
And while some might quickly assume those victims are women, the Department of Justice study, available on the Battered Men Domestic Violence Web site, estimates that nearly 835,000 of those victims are men.
Though cases of men suffering emotional or physical abuse from their spouse or partner occur less frequently than cases with female victims, local law enforcement and victims advocates said help and services are available to every victim of the crime — regardless of gender.
“We don’t see (domestic violence against men) nearly as often as abuse directed toward women, but we do encounter it,” said Greenwood Police Chief Gerald Brooks. “We handle those cases the same as (female victim cases). The law applies equally to all people.”
The dynamics of domestic violence are the same for female and male victims, said MEG’s House Executive Director Alice Hodges, and victims can often feel fear, depression or shame as a result of their victimization. As with many crimes, Hodges said it is difficult to know the actual number of domestic violence victims of the crime because many victims — male and female — do not report the problem to authorities.
“The key is getting them to call us for help,” Hodges said. Though MEG’s House is a local emergency shelter for abused women and children, Hodges said the agency has provided shelter and helped with legal assistance for male victims.
Local victims advocates said men might be hesitant to report the crime to authorities because society’s traditional sex roles depict men as the stronger gender.
“They are socialized into believing that they can handle it on their own,” Hodges said. “The shame is compounded by not being able to control their wives. ... They face internal shame that their friends may see them as weak.”
Another factor that can keep men silent might be the fear that authorities would think the woman was the victim in the situation, but Lt. Tara Scott, with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies are trained to absorb all details of a domestic violence scene to determine the true “primary aggressor.”
“They take everything into consideration,” Scott said, adding that factors such as drugs or alcohol usually play a role.
Deputies also look at a person’s demeanor and past criminal history for clues.
“Criminal domestic violence is rarely a one-time deal,” Scott said. “Deputies are usually able to easily see who is acting in an aggressive manner.”
Signs that a person might be a victim of domestic violence are similar for both men and women, said Mary Ann Stroup, victim assistance director with the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office. A spouse or partner who is a “control freak” with a domineering control can be a red flag for friends or family that a loved one is being victimized, Stroup said, adding that victims often become secluded in their own home. She said children also can exhibit signs of stress in domestic violence situations involving their parents or guardians.
“It affects the children just as much as it does adults because they have to grow up in that environment,” she said. Since January, there have been 23 cases of domestic violence incidents where a man was identified as a victim, Stroup said. Of those reported cases, only a few men followsed through with the agency to receive assistance.
“Lots of times in domestic violence, they (the victims) report it ... but they end up not wanting to do anything about it,” she said. “Men typically don’t pursue assistance.”
For those cases that do come up in court, Stroup said the legal system does not favor one gender over the other, especially in domestic violence situations that create child custody battles.
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Family court judges rule just as fairly for men as they do women,” she said. Stroup said she isn’t sure why male victims often decline assistance, but she said the agency is always prepared to work with any victim who needs help. “We treat every case equally,” she said. “We can offer the same services to men that we offer to women. There are a lot of resources we can tap into.”
Victims assistance provides help in signing warrants and obtaining orders of protection for victims. Stroup said the agency doesn’t typically need to offer emergency shelter assistance to male victims — she said no one has ever requested that — but if a request were made, she said the agency would work with other statewide assistance groups to fulfill the need.
“We’ll think outside of the box to help in another way,” she said.
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