MEN AS VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE

Although the only domestic violence shelter in Alberta to house men is the Wheatland Crisis Shelter, any of the shelters could receive calls from men who have been victims of domestic abuse. Some men call the crisis line stating that they have been abused, when in fact they are the abuser. It is important to take the time to explore their issues and make appropriate referrals.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- To understand some of the issues related to men as victims of domestic abuse.

SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

·  Female to male partner violence is an issue that continues
to be controversial.

·  In the 1999 General Social Survey (GSS) on Victimization
(Statistics Canada, 2000), men reported being abused by
women to a similar degree as women have been abused
by men. “The five-year rate of violence was similar for
women (eight per cent) and men (seven percent). Overall,
this amounts to approximately 690,000 women and 549,000
men who had a current or former partner in the past five years and reported experiencing at least one incidence of violence.”

·  Canada’s GSS utilized the Conflict Tactics Scale and added additional questions concerning the context and consequences of the violence. The GSS reported that violence against women by male partners is more serious than that of men by female partners. Women were more than twice as likely as men to report being beaten, five times more likely to report being choked, and almost twice as likely to report being threatened by a gun or knife, or having a gun or knife used against them. Men reported being beaten, choked and threatened, but at lower rates than women.

·  Men were more likely to report being slapped (59% versus 40%), having something thrown at them (56% versus 44%) and being kicked, bit, or hit (51% versus 33 %). Men were abused repeatedly by their partners 54% of the time, while women reported being abused repeatedly 65% of the time.

·  Men, who reported abuse in the five years prior to the survey, stated that they had experienced an injury 13% of the time, while women stated that violence had resulted in injury 40% of the time.

·  In Canada, in 2002, 16 men were killed by female partners and 67 women were killed by male partners (Statistics Canada, 2004).

·  Preliminary research indicates that women do abuse men in intimate relationships (Gelles & Straus, 1988; Straus, 2005). Tutty (1999) states, “it is clear that women use violence towards their male partners, that a great deal of domestic violence is bi-directional and that a small but important number of women are the sole perpetrators of violence in their intimate relationships” (p. 53).

·  Men may also experience abuse in a same-sex relationship. According to the 2000 Centre for Disease Control report, data from the Bureau of Justice, National Crime Victimization Survey indicated that approximately 23% of the men who had lived with a man as a couple reported sexual violence, physical abuse and/or being stalked, while 7.4 % of men who lived with a female partner reported such violence by a partner.

·  These statistics indicate that men suffer from intimate partner abuse, although there is considerable debate about the nature of the abuse. Do women retaliate by abusing men who abused them initially? Is the violence that men experience a result of the power and control issues in a relationship? There is a need for further research in the area of women’s abuse towards men.

SHELTERS PROVIDING SUPPORT TO MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE
When men call the crisis lines at domestic abuse shelters looking for support, it is important to listen to them, explore the abuse further, assist them with developing safety plans, refer them to services providing support to male victims, and encourage them to access supports. Men are reluctant to seek support if they see themselves as failures or if they feel that it is not masculine to ask for help.
There are few services for males who are victims of domestic abuse. The National Clearinghouse has a booklet (see below) that is accessible online that outlines services within Alberta and across Canada. Some agencies in Calgary and Edmonton offer groups for men who have been victims of domestic abuse, while in the smaller centres it may be possible to refer a male victim to a counselling agency for individual counselling in order to access supports.

REFERENCES

Lupri, E. & Grandin, E. (2004). Intimate Partner Abuse Against Men: Overview Paper. Ottawa, ON: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence.

www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/maleabus_e.html.

National Clearinghouse on Family Violence. (2004). Directory of Services and Programs for Abused Men in Canada. Ottawa, ON: Health Canada. www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/.

Statistics Canada. (2000). Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2000. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence.html.

Statistics Canada. (2004). Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2004. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence.html.

Tutty, L. (1999). Husband Abuse: An Overview of Research and Perspectives. Ottawa, ON: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence. www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/familyviolence/maleabus_e.html.

QUESTIONS: MODULE 15

1.  The 1999 GSS reported that men are abused to a similar degree as women are abused; the five year rate of violence was reported as 8% for women and 7% for men. When the GSS used the Conflict Tactics Scale and added more in-depth questions regarding the context and consequences of the violence, what results emerged regarding the seriousness of violence experienced by women when compared to the violence experienced by men?

2.  Which shelters in Alberta house men?

3.  What services are available for abused men?

3

28/06/2010