Firstly, let me make this clear; I do support the governmental campaign to highlight the problems around domestic violence. However, I do not understand how you can tackle a power divided problem through a power divided approach. Put simply, I take issue with the inability of the recent governmental campaign to tackle domestic violence not highlighting how there is a problem around domestic abuse towards men too. That is not to deny that women face more domestic abuse than men and that this is a serious problem that needs addressing, it is instead to argue the need to highlight how men can sometimes suffer domestic abuse too. Making out that domestic abuse is only really a problem for women as victims and men as the perpetrates does little to further the fight for equality. To tackle a problem you have to be open and fair to all the possible alternatives of the problem – men who are abused are often less likely to report their abuse because of the social stigma around men’s ‘masculinity’ being undermined. Governmental campaigns that play on the ‘masculine’ and ‘feminie’ roles not only reinforce binaries that should not exist between men and women, but they also make it harder for men to report violence when they have been subject to abuse. Furthermore, what about the girls who abuse their partners? What do they do? Deal with it on themselves? Or face a stigma? The campaign doesn’t consider this. This highlights the problems of approaching such a sensitive issue with endemic power conceptions.
Some of you may or may not know, but I am a feminist and therefore these views may fall contra to popular perceptions of feminist beliefs. There is often the uncanny ability to generalise statements by certain branches of feminists, especially the radicals, and attribute it to all feminists.I hope to help show how this assumption is unhelpful, and that a recognition of different perspectives and an open mind is required when participating in feminism.
I think the main issue that needs to be addressed are the type of attitudes that often go with violence. Rape myths for example, are something that need to be addressed and specifically relate to women related violence. Thus, there needs to be more recognition of the types of violence that are more likely to be linked to attitudes that relate to the overall societal attitude to women as objects. However, to deny the existence of male related violence is wrong. Whilst I believe that violence against women should form the focus, there needs to be recognition of the violence that can occur against men. Violence against anyone is wrong, there needs to be options for those who abuse and those who are abused to be able to seek the help they need without feeling as though they are isolated to do so.
Furthermore, it will take more than just a campaign to reduce violence against women. The government’s policies on prostitution for example, will not help reduce the sexual and violent abuse that can occur towards women in the sex trade. Instead, there needs to be a greater focus on women’s rights, driving it underground will make it harder to reduce violence. Yes, maybe the statistics may show the government proposals reduce abuse rates, but this will be testament to the dangerously hidden level it will enter.
The bottom line is that yes, women and girls are more likely to face violence and that does need serious attention. However, there is a need to tackle the problem with a more open and equalised perspective. Domestic violence against men does need to be addressed too, this will not only help the men who are abused but the women abusers who are often isolated due to the attitudes towards domestic violence in society.
