Silent victims is putting it somewhat nicely. Male victims of domestic violence are invisible unvictims. That is the impression one might be left with after reading most of the literature about domestic violence. A great deal of the available material goes out of its way to present violence against men as benign or the result of women’s self-defense. Likewise, many of the women’s advocates dismiss research showing that males experience a similar rate of violence and are physically harmed by women’s violence. As Trudy Schuett explains:
Yes, the U.S. Dept. of Justice says there about 840,000 male victims of domestic violence each year. But those are just the ones who’ve reported it.
Not that the numbers really matter: What matters is that it’s happening, and it’s no joke.
There’s a popular presumption that men should somehow be able to “control” the woman in their lives, and if they can’t, then they deserve what they get. But the fact is that today a man who tries to defend himself is more likely than not to end up in jail.
Several decades of awareness campaigns devoted to shedding light on the issue of battered women have resulted in laws that have tipped the scales so far that not only do male victims have little or no legal recourse, abusive women have learned to take advantage of these women-friendly laws and public policies as an aspect of their abusive behaviors.
Schuett goes on to explain that the causes for violence against men vary. Sometimes the violence is mutual, sometimes the women have drug issues, sometimes the women have mental health issues and sometimes the women are just violent. Schuett presents the last as “he extreme end of the scale,” but realistically speaking it is likely that most women who abuse are fully aware of what they are doing and do not care. And as Schuett noted, abusive women do take advantage of feminist-formulated laws and policies that excuse away female-perpetrated violence.
Schuett’s article comes in light of a recent post on a feminist blog in which the author attempted to equate domestic violence death rates with the overall rate of violence, the intent being to prove that women do not abuse men and in the few instances it does occur it is out of self-defense. While Amanda Hess’ post appeals to feminists who prefer to ignore and deny male victimization, it is also one of the reasons why so few male victims come forward and one of the reasons why Schuett’s list of precautions male victims should take are so sadly needed:
* Move the argument: if you are in the bedroom or kitchen, try to move. The bedroom has understandable reminders of issues that could be important, and the kitchen can be a dangerous source of weapons. The living room or even the front yard is a better place for you to be;
* If you have collections of guns or knives, obviously, get them out of the house, and store them elsewhere. Women tend to go to weapons as equalizers more quickly than men. While even simple items as CD cases and wine glasses can be turned into weapons by a violent woman, it makes sense to remove the obvious dangers;
* Get witnesses. Tell family or friends about your situation, difficult as that may be. Even one person with first-hand knowledge of your problem can make the difference between your wife or girlfriend getting help or using the issue against you. That’s why I suggested the front yard in the earlier point. A nosy neighbor can be your best friend in some cases;
* Do not phone police unless you are in immediate danger, and your life is at risk. Law enforcement professionals nationwide have been trained to presume the man is always the perpetrator. There have been many cases where a man has been arrested, even while his wife is in the process of assaulting him and/or a police officer. Don’t add this extra risk unless you absolutely cannot avoid it;
* Have a safety plan. Put together a bag with a change of clothes, cash, spare keys and toiletries, and keep it somewhere away from your residence.
If you have children, make provisions for them as well, and also include such things as birth certificates and social security cards. You may want to start storing your important papers in a bank safety deposit box. Be sure to arrange for a place to go if you need to spend a night or more away from home.
It speaks volumes that all male victims really have available to them is having a safe house somewhere.
Toy Soldiers 
It’s amazing how much effort feminists will go through to show that men really don’t have it that bad when it comes to DV. I guess its a good thing to know they are really concerned about all victims.
What irritates me the most about the way feminists minimize male victimization is that they use male victims to do it. I consider it nothing less than another way male victims are exploited by abusive people.