...and what about the men?
- Miriam Mintz
- Jan 18, 2017
- 1 min read
...and what about the men?
I love it when they ask that. I hear this all the time during discussions about domestic abuse.
Yes, what about the men?
There are two main things I would like to point out.
Contrary to popular belief organisations like Salford Women's Aid does indeed support male victims of domestic abuse.
To spell it out:
We support women who have been abused by men,
men who have been abused by women,
women who have been abused by women,
men who have been abused by men,
transgender men and women who have been abused by cisgender and transgender men and women.
We don't turn men away. Men can be victims of abuse. Nobody denies that.
Fact is that the number of male victims presenting is far lower than the number of women. This may be due to the fact that men do not tend to report abuse due to the fear of stigma.
This is a wider cultural debate that must be had in our society.
Which brings me to my second point.
If you only bring up 'the men' in a discussion about women, you do not really care about the male victims. You only use it as a distraction to avoid talking about the women's issues seriously. By that you devalue all victims of abuse regardless of their identifying gender. Obliterating the discussion is not constructive for any cause.
Instead, if you really care then become proactive. Raise awareness. Fundraise.Volunteer your time to work with victims. Collaborate with other organisations. Educate yourself. Lobby politicians. Use social media. Write angry blogs. Write sad blogs. Write. Speak up.
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