That’s really not true, because in this case especially, we have a small group to begin with. People just don’t realize the extent of the need for this project. Neither do they realize how much one person can do to help it along.

Without going into a complex explanation of how things like blogs, Twitter and Facebook work, what I will say is this: each person voting has the potential to influence hundreds, or even thousands of others. That’s because the Pepsi Challenge has provided several ways for each voter to also engage their blog’s readers, their FB friends, their Twitter followers, who in turn have their own networks of different people.

In other words, you don’t have to know a lot of people online, because you have friends who do.

So, you already know the importance of your help in this, but what is this project, anyway?

Jan Brown says it better than I ever could:

“Studies show that men who are in relationships with abusive partners do not see themselves as victims of domestic violence . Domestic violence has been so narrowly defined in our society that most people, including abused men, believe that it begins and ends with men beating their intimate female partners.

Many men who suffer physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and/or sexual abuse at the hands of their intimate partners do not realize that this, too is domestic violence . They will usually write it off as their partner having a bad day or feel that they must have done something to deserve the abuse.

Further, agencies that offer a myriad of supportive services and shelter to victims of domestic violence do little to encourage abused men to come forward and seek help. Few offer outreach to male victims.

The Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women is hoping to change that with the first national public awareness campaign on male victims of domestic violence. We have entered the Pepsi Refresh Project. We are seeking a $250,000 award from Pepsi for our project idea to bring public awareness to male victims of domestic violence. This funding will enable us to send outreach materials (brochures, posters, booklets and placards) about male victims to 7,500 agencies that work with victims of domestic violence across the country.

In order to obtain this $250,000 award we need your help. The public determines, through voting on their favorite project ideas at the Pepsi site, who wins. Please click on this link to vote for our project idea!

Voting goes from Aug.1st to Aug. 31st. Remember to vote DAILY and ask your friends and family members to do the same. Thank you for helping us to bring awareness and services to victims and their families.

Because abused men need awareness and services too.

We already know that this information is wanted and needed. A good percentage of calls to the Helpline come from those very agencies Jan mentions, whose main experience has been working with women. They want to know what they can do for men.

Because of the antiquated laws and policies in place, DAHMW does not get any of the billions of dollars that flow to domestic violence programs each year. They must rely on private donations and campaigns such as Pepsi Challenge in hopes of keeping services for men available.

If this effort succeeds, it has the potential to cause a sea change in the way the public at large sees domestic violence, and thousands of families nationwide could begin to heal.

Denise Hines and Emily Douglas have published the first article from their project on male victims of partner abuse.

Entitled, A Closer Look at Men Who Sustain Intimate Terrorism by Women it appears in Partner Abuse, Volume 1, Number 3 and can also be accessed thru the Men’s Experiences with Partner Aggression Project website.

Abstract:
Over thirty years of research has established that both men and women are capable of sustaining intimate partner violence (IPV) by their opposite-sex partners, yet little research has examined men’s experiences in such relationships. Some experts in the field have forwarded assumptions about men who sustain IPV – for example, that the abuse they experience is trivial or humorous and of no consequence, and that if their abuse was severe enough they have the financial and psychological resources to easily leave the relationship – but these assumptions are not based on any empirical studies. The present study is an in depth, descriptive examination of 302 men who sustained severe IPV from their female partners within the previous year and sought help. We present information on their demographics, overall mental health, and the types and frequency of various forms of physical and psychological IPV they sustained. We also
provide both quantitative and qualitative information about their last physical argument and their reasons for staying in the relationship. It is concluded that, contrary to many assumptions about these men, the
IPV they sustain is quite severe and both mentally and physically damaging; their most frequent response to their partner’s IPV is to get away from her; and they are often blocked in their efforts to leave, sometimes physically, but more often because of strong psychological and emotional ties to their partners and especially their children. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for policy and practice.

Also of interest in the same issue of Partner Abuse are

Explaining Gender Differences in Police Arresting and Charging Behavior in Cases of Spousal Violence

by Paul Millar and Grant Brown

and

Thirty Years of Denying the Evidence on Gender Symmetry in Partner Violence: Implications for Prevention and Treatment

by Murray A. Straus

We need your help! Our agency has been entered into the Chase Community Giving challenge…Just 4 clicks from you and Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women (DAHMW) has a chance at 20K for victim’s services. Time is of the essence as there are only have 11 days left to this challenge. It takes just 4 clicks for you to participate. The top 200 organizations that bring in the most votes win so why can’t Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men and Women (DAHMW) be one of the lucky winners of 20K? With all of you participating we can not lose!
DAHMW needs each one of you to vote and then ask your friends to do the same. Right now with just 58 votes we rank at 822… we can move up the ranks quickly with your help. Help DAHMW get some money for victim’s services…click on the green banner on our page at the Chase Community Giving site and vote today…
Your 4 clicks start here:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/10539382-domestic-abuse-helpline-for-men

The other day, Doc Helen remarked that there were so many more positive portrayals of dads right before Father’s Day, and hoped things were changing.

I’d hoped so too, given the advances and growth in men’s orgs such as the National Coalition for Men, Fathers & Families and Michigan’s Father’s Rights Coalition.

Well, maybe those advances aren’t as large as they seem, as last night viewers of ABC’s Boston Med were treated to a national display of misandry and discrimination seldom seen even in a reality program. While most of the media focus has been on the double lung transplant in Episode #1 of this eight-part series, those who watched the whole thing saw something else, too.

The series follows doctors at three hospitals — Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital Boston. It’s not all “feats of medical brilliance” as promised in this ABC press release.

At first we see ER resident Pina Patel in this light, taken from the show’s website:

Pina Patel is in her fourth and last year of an Emergency Medicine residency. A graduate of Ohio State, she struggles to gain confidence in a training program filled with colleagues toting Harvard degrees. After failing to perform a standard medical procedure and being criticized for her leadership abilities, Pina questions whether she is cut out to go the distance and become an attending.

The viewer wants to connect with the idea that all docs aren’t necessarily superheroes. Then this ER student physician is faced with a stabbing victim. While treating the patient, Dr. Patel is all business. Then later, she discusses the case with co-workers, and this all-female group finds something quite amusing in the fact their male patient was stabbed by his wife.

“I know I shouldn’t laugh,” Dr. Patel says, while barely suppressing a giggle. The group agrees they should not laugh, but that is exactly what they are doing.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the doc then goes on to opine something to the effect that the incident should have been a lesson to the man not to mess with his woman.  In other words, this particular patient deserved a life-threatening assault because of his gender.

While it’s well-known that Massachusetts is one of the worst states in the union for male victims, due to the malignant Jane Doe, Inc., which is in charge of most of the “domestic violence education” for professionals in the state, one would think a medical doctor could put aside personal bias and treat a patient without the kind of judgment demonstrated by Pina Patel.

If she questioned her own abilities, she was certainly on the right track, as this person has no business in a discipline where a  number of her patients would likely present an issue she feels strongly about. It is unknown as of this writing whether the patient received the same quality of care extended to others, or if anyone in authority at Harvard Medical School took any steps to correct Dr. Patel’s aberrant behavior. The suspicion has been raised by the doctor’s wholly unprofessional performance that perhaps this kind of conduct is acceptable at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

After all, the doctor is currently employed at Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Clara Medical Center, in the Emergency Medicine department. Kaiser Permanente would never hire a physician that was so clearly prepared to discriminate against a patient for any reason.

Or maybe they would.

Had the victim been female, there would have been no laughs, no expression that the patient somehow caused their own injury. Is not blaming the victim the Number One sin in the domestic violence field?

Or does Harvard Medical teach that some kinds of discrimination are just fine and to be engaged in whenever possible?

From June 14, 2010 Canada’s National Post

Most of you have probably already read the article, but I was actually present in the courtroom in a similar case, here in Yuma a few years ago.

I’d volunteered to show up in place of the family of the late Bill Kirkham, who was beaten with a lamp and left to bleed out as his live-in,  Margo,  walked her dogs and chatted with friends on the phone.

He was found by his AA sponsor the next morning.

By the time the Yuma court got around to sentencing his murderer, Bill’s family was fatigued in their very souls and like so many others, battered by the system. They’d been treated by local LEOs as family of an abuser from the get-go, which is where I came in.

My job was just to observe and report, while giving these good people a bit of peace, because they had no idea what that day would bring.

So I went, and was truly astonished to hear this violent, remorseless woman attempt some kind of throwing herself on the mercy of the court thing — because she was a widow!!!

Even the judge did a double take.

She got three years, and our local paper located her kids in Florida, who was glad that judge put their mother away.  The article of the time didn’t elaborate, but can you even imagine how abusive she must’ve been to her own children?

It’s really not forward-looking or helpful in any way to continue to pretend that only men abuse, only woman are victims.

It only enriches the hatemongers who claim they have the ultimate solution for domestic violence — to the tune of multiple billions of dollars each year.

Meanwhile, men like Bill Kirkham are left alone to bleed out, and no one will help them.

Domestic Abuse Helpline

IN HONOR OF FATHER’S DAY JUNE 20TH
DOMESTIC ABUSE HELPLINE FUNDRAISER
A great way to show Dad you care is by donating to a cause that specializes in helping men.

The DAHMW, 10 years old now, receives no federal or state funding. We have no paid employees. Our volunteers donated over 14,000 hours of their time last year. We rely solely on the generosity of donations.
Your donation of $10, $15 or $20 will help us keep our toll free helpline and website up and running. Everyone who donates will receive grateful acknowledgment through the Thank You Page on our Website. We’ll post you and your dad’s name, unless your prefer to remain anonymous. In order to donate, please click on the PayPal button on our website ( support us page) or go to our facebook cause page

When you support the work of DAHMW, you can have the satisfaction of being among the innovators on the forefront of change. The realities of IPA (intimate Partner Abuse) are just beginning to be recognized for what it is — a relationship problem that can affect anyone. With your help, we can begin to find practical solutions that allow individuals and families the tools and help they need to heal.

Roni Weisberg-Ross L.M.F.T.

Let’s begin by talking about Domestic Abuse – how it is regarded and dealt with in our culture. As a psych intern I was taught that we must report Child Abuse, Elder Abuse, a credible threat by one individual to physically harm another or a credible threat by an individual to physically harm him or herself. So we do protect children, elders and people who are about to be harmed. However, unless a child was present during the time it was occurring, we are not allowed to report domestic abuse – only the parties involved can do that. What that means for me as a clinician is that I can defend an adult individual who is (possibly) about to be physically harmed, but I cannot defend an adult individual who actually was physically harmed. The logic here is that that individual should be able to stand up for him or herself. But a lot of the times that is simply not the case; and the reason it is not the case is that the individual may fear retribution, may be attempting to protect their partner or children, or may be so psychologically enmeshed that they don’t have the wherewithal to stand up for themselves. In the case of men who are abused, there is the additional factor of shame and not believing that anyone else will take their situation seriously.

Domestic Abuse is treated as a personal family issue. While the Women’s’ Movement has publicized it as an issue of female oppression. It may be both but it is also much more. Just as Child Abuse and Elder Abuse are no longer considered just personal family issues but also social and legal issues, so must the abuse of one adult by another. It’s time we reconsider the laws surrounding Domestic Abuse.

Now to the specific topic at hand. When we think of domestic abuse we mostly think of men battering women partners or men battering male partners and to a much lesser extent, women battering their female partners in a Lesbian relationship. But when it comes women battering men, most people would say that they don’t really believe that can happen because men are physically stronger and therefore more capable of defending themselves. However, women do batter their male partners and in much larger numbers than anyone would have imagined.

In 2008, California led the nation in public awareness to this previously hidden Domestic Violence issue. And subsequently, in October of that year, “the California state courts ruled that battered men deserve equal protection under the law”. (mensnewsdaily.com/2008/10/17/domestic-violence-awarenes-month).

The California court ruling was based, in part, on empirical research undertaken by hundreds of social scientists. “This research has demonstrated that both men and women initiate Domestic Violence at roughly equal rates with some recent studies suggesting that the initiation rates for girls and women may be increasing. Furthermore approximately 40% of the physically harmed victims of Domestic Violence are men.”(MND.com) While we have a federal “Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), it may be time to replace it with a “Domestic Violence Act” that doesn’t discriminate against gender.

You wonder, how this is possible? It has taken years of advocacy and support to encourage women to report domestic violence. But virtually nothing has been done to encourage men to do the same. Because there is a widely held assumption that women are victims and men are perpetrators – it is embarrassing, almost unthinkable, for many men to even consider reporting. It makes them look weak, ineffectual almost laughable in other peoples’ eyes. And they don’t believe that much of anything will be done even if they do report. They are right. While it is true that the actual physical harm inflicted by women on men is usually not as severe as the reverse situation, the emotional, psychological damage can be even greater. “Mental and emotional abuse can be an area where women are often more “brutal” than men.” (D.V. Against Men). And when there are children involved, it is equally as negatively impactful as abuse against women.

Why do women abuse? For many of the same reasons that men abuse – alcohol and/or drug abuse, psychological disorders, and unrealistic expectations and assumptions. These women make unreasonable demands on their partners and attribute most of their depression, and frustration on them. They blame their partner rather than admit to their own insecurities, emotional problems, childhood traumas and current substance abuse. They want their partner to make them feel whole rather than take responsibility for their own lives. Making your partner a punching bag for your own insecurities and demons is gender blind. How the violence erupts though can be different between the sexes. With men, they commonly say “She made me do it”. With women it’s, “he doesn’t care, he’s insensitive – I wonder if he has any feelings at all. It is the only way I can get his attention.”

Why do men stay in abusive relationships? Also for many of the same reasons that women stay. They believe that it is their fault or that they deserve the treatment they receive. They are mentally, emotionally or financially dependent on the abusive female partner. Many men are afraid to leave their children alone with such an unstable person. They also be afraid that they won’t be allowed to see their children or that she’ll turn the children against him.

It is not surprise that help for men who are victims of domestic abuse – and come forward – is not as prevalent as it is for women. There are virtually no shelters, programs or advocacy groups for men. For now, most abused men will have to rely on private counseling services.

If you are an abused male and need help, call the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1(800) 799-SAFE. Let them know you are out there.

Roni Weisberg-Ross LMFT

2010

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/women-battering-men-the-other-side-of-domestic-abuse-2385197.html

About the Author

West Los Angeles based psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, chronic depression and social anxiety. Roni sees individuals, couples, families and leads a weekly AMAC (Adults Abused as Children) support group at The Family Resource Counseling Center.

The analysis is published by SAVE – Stop Abusive and Violent Environments, and is available online: http://www.saveservices.org/downloads/Predominant-Aggressor-Policies

The report analyzes domestic violence policies in 23 states designed to guide law enforcement personnel in arrest decisions. The document calls on states with predominant aggressor laws to repeal such policies.

The predominant aggressor report follows SAVE’s recent release of “Assaulting our Rights: How Domestic Violence Laws Curtail Our Fundamental Freedoms,” which concludes abuse laws result in the curtailment of civil liberties of over 2 million Americans each year.

Research shows men and women are equally likely to instigate acts of partner aggression: http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm . But in Roanoke, Va., police officers are instructed to assess the “Height/weight of parties,” a criterion that openly biases the officer to arrest the male.

In Maine, law enforcement personnel are expected to assess the “Power and control dynamics.” Law enforcement expert Richard Davis of Plymouth College, Mass. charges these criteria represent “more a polemic ideological rant than a domestic violence intervention program.”

In several states, police are told to evaluate “Risk or potential of future injury.” But experts question the scientific basis of such recommendations.

“Predominant aggressor laws pressure police officers to arrest the man regardless of who called the police or what person instigated the abuse,” according to SAVE spokesman Carl Starling. “Females that provoke violent acts are not held accountable for their abusive behavior, while innocent men end up with an arrest record for life.”

Last September, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman was arrested on charges of domestic violence, following an accusation by an inebriated woman. Lacking any evidence of harm, the D.A. dropped the charges. Columnist Dean Tong later wrote, “Shawne Merriman was falsely accused of domestic abuse charges, but may always carry a scarlet letter emblazoned upon his name.”

SAVE is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of our nation’s approach to the problem of domestic violence through education, training, and awareness programs.

What is the Violence Against Women Act about?

Farrah Fawcett’s Burning Bed legacy

15 years of the Violence Against Women Act: its tragic consequences

When will we have hated men enough?

There is also a wealth of info at  http://www.saveservices.org/special-reports/ The site is jammed with facts, figures, and radical notions of equality.

Note how the focus is not on the violence, but on changing boys to be different. In other words, it’s not the violence that’s the problem, it’s the boys!

The term “gendered violence” is also suspect, as there has never been any objective research into whether this social phenomenon even exists.

Also note the disclaimer that gives the feds an out should anyone complain this is a poor use of taxpayer funding.

PreventConnect.org is a national online project dedicated to the primary prevention of violence against women.

Growing Boys into Men:
Countering Traditional Masculinity Through Norms Change

Countering norms that reinforce traditional masculinity is an opportunity to prevent violence in a lasting, comprehensive way. This web conference will highlight specific strategies and efforts that seeks to change norms related to gendered violence. Different norms will be examined with regard to their historical context, distinct challenges, and opportunities for collaborative work.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Repeated on Thursday, May 27, 2010

This ninety-minute (90 min) session will start at 11 AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time on May 26, and will be repeated at 11 AM Pacific Daylight Savings Time on May 27.
(Click here to identify the start time in your time zone)

Host: David Lee, PreventConnect, California Coalition Against Sexual Assault

Presenter: Annie Lyles, Xavier Morales and Christine Chang, Prevention Institute

Guests:

* Jerry Tello, Therapist, Author, and Performer
* Craig Norberg-Bohm, Men’s Initiative Coordinator, Jane Doe Inc.

Objectives:

* Understand how norms create an environment in which violence is more likely to occur.
* Provide examples of successes from people and organizations working to counter norms of traditional masculinity.
* Identify strategies being used to effectively counter and change norms.
* Identify potential indicators for measuring progress in norms change.

To Learn More and Register, Visit Our Website:
http://www.preventconnect.org

Cost:
Free

Newsletters and Announcements: To receive our newsletters and conference announcements, click here to subscribe to our announcements list.

Email Group: Our email group, Prevent-Connect, is a forum where people from around the world who are engaged in violence against women prevention can ask each other questions, share successes and pool knowledge. Click here to join this prevention community at the Yahoo! Groups Website.

You can also join via email by sending a blank message to: Prevent-Connect-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

PreventConnect is a national project of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) and is sponsored by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views and information provided in our activities do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Government, the CDC or CALCASA.

Since 1994, programs and policies created by the Violence Against Women Act have destroyed countless families and left victims of domestic violence with no practical help, and no possibility of future advances in the field.

VAWA programs are unique among all helping programs as they have not changed in any way in 50 years, yet society continues to evolve.

Because of VAWA, victims of domestic violence and partner abuse literally have nowhere to turn in an emergency, and allowing these programs to continue will ensure they never will.

The VAWA concept of partner abuse is only about advancing a political agenda and not at all about seeking real-world solutions for the families and people affected.

All of this has come at a cost of billions of dollars per year, with  no demonstrable return on this investment. It is time to STOP funding a Marxist political agenda and START helping taxpayers get the help they are paying for.

The next VAWA is currently being drafted by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence in preparation for introduction and passage in 2011.

For the first time since its inception, Congress is allowing opposing viewpoints on this issue to be aired at the first hearing to be held today.

“The Increased Importance of the Violence Against Women Act in a Time of Economic Crisis”

The hearing is Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.  View it online here.

Scheduled to speak is Richard Gelles, PhD. who is a Dean at the  School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a leading researcher in the filed of partner abuse from a non-political perspective. His take on the most popular and enduring myths surrounding the issue is here.

You can be part of this landmark event!

Even though you can’t be there in person, you CAN submit testimony to the Committee.  It’s simple…just write a concise, polite letter about your experiences with VAWA, and email to Senators Leahy (Democrat of Vermont) and Sessions (Republican of Alabama).  It is preferable that your letter not be longer than one page long.

Just fill in the missing places in the draft letter below, and email it to:

Anya McMurray (Leahy’s staffer): Anya_McMurray-at-judiciary-dem.senate.gov

Bradley Hayes (Sessions’ staffer): Bradley_Hayes-at-judiciary-rep.senate.gov

Send a copy of the letter to: news-at-saveservices.org . The deadline to receive your letter is this coming Tuesday, May 11!

DRAFT  LETTER

RE: Violence Against Women Act

Honorable Patrick Leahy
Honorable Jeff Sessions
Senate Judiciary Committee

Dear Senators Leahy and Sessions:

I am writing regarding the May 5, 2010 Judiciary Committee hearing on the Violence Against Women Act.

[POLITELY, FACTUALLY, AND CONCISELY DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS HOW TO REFORM VAWA.]

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER]

Our federal, state, and local governments spend an amount equal to the entire Canadian military budget on this operation every year.

Where there used to be a family made up of a mom, a dad, and kids; there is now a single mom, working full time to support herself and her kids whether she ever wanted to or not, a dad deleted from his children’s lives like some sort of typographical error, and children who will spend the rest of their lives wondering what horrible, bad thing they did to deserve all this.

While people have been led to believe that divorce is a solution; an end to the fighting, for most divorcing families today it is only the beginning. The system we have in place today has seen to that. The tragedy here is that so much of this anguish and pain could have been avoided if only people knew the truth.

That truth is that there are people in this country who do not want families to exist. That’s because a strong family unit can face almost any difficulty, any problem and come through it. Some even come out of it stronger and more resilient than before. These strong families have no need of government programs. They won’t put up with a government official, a stranger to them and their kids, making their major life decisions for them. Families want to make their own choices of where to live, with whom, and how they will support themselves.

Call them progressives, Marxists, feminists, whatever you like, but they all have one goal: get rid of those families so they can take control.

The War on Families is far more successful than any of the other wars I mentioned earlier. That’s because the American people have been led to believe this war is about something entirely different.

This is one of those issues most people think they know about, but unfortunately what they know is a product of several decades’ worth of political maneuvering without much substance.

Since 1984, the United States government has quietly conducted an operation with only one outcome in mind: the destruction of the American family unit. Under the guise of “protecting” women from partner abuse – now called domestic violence by such laws as the federal Violence Against Women Act of 1994, and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act – many thousands, if not millions of families have been eliminated.
With the current divorce rate at about 50%, about half of all marriages seem destined for failure. This is a very good thing for the anti-family warriors, as it means a never-ending flow of money and personnel to carry out their strategy.

Alumnae of women’s shelters emerge with no skills beyond the gamesmanship of divorce and “working the system,” so all those newly-single moms and fatherless children need endless support from government programs, from infant nutrition all the way to burial at public expense. Many go on to new abusive relationships, having had no instruction in ways to avoid future problems.

You have to go back to the early days of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union to see how this all plays out. If you Google “abolition of the family” you will find a wealth of information, from both pro-communist and anti-communist sources. Some of the material is quite recent, so you can see it is an idea that has endured over a hundred years.

The durability of the concept does not bestow it with any sense of humanity, however. It is as cold and dehumanizing as ever, ignoring the demonstrable fact that human beings have emotions and needs that can never be addressed by any economic system.

Americans in particular have resisted much of the socialist and communist ideology in the past, but this has begun to change. Over the years the anti-family warriors have become adept at cloaking their ugly intentions in a soft fabric of lies that have fooled many otherwise-intelligent people. They use words like “protection and “equality,” while all the time what they are really looking for is submission.

This is the reason why there have never been any changes to women’s shelter programs in 50 years; it is why the lion’s share of that funding we provide through our tax dollars goes not to helping women in distress but to anti-family “education” efforts, to ensure millions of law enforcement and court personnel see partner abuse as a political and gender issue.

It is why the only solution ever provided by these federally-mandated programs is now and has always been divorce, and why they will never give more than lip service to suggestions of reform or improvement.

These programs have nothing whatsoever to do with partner abuse. They are about eradicating the very concept of the family from the public consciousness. It is but a single skirmish in the larger current crusade for our hearts and minds by the progressive/socialist/communist movement, but we can win this one.

How?

That’s the easy part. Just tell the truth.

Both VAWA and FVSPA are up for reauthorization this year, and we can end the War on Families by pointing out the reality of those laws to our legislators, as well as our state and local officials. There is not a state, city, or county in this country that is not directly affected by these laws.

Tell them they are taking our tax dollars to use against us and our families, and you can’t continue to support their other efforts if they let our families be destroyed. These programs do not just affect victims of domestic violence, they affect everybody, because that’s what they are intended to do. These programs have been so effective in their actual purpose that right now almost everyone knows somebody who has been through a bad divorce, accused of domestic violence, or a victim of domestic violence, real or imagined.

Nearly all that trouble for their constituency could have been avoided if they’d only known what the proponents of these programs were up to from the beginning. After all, if you call the fire department when your house is on fire, they don’t come with a backhoe and tear down the house, then walk away while the remains are still in flames, do they? Of course not.

But that’s exactly what these programs do. And that’s all they do.

In these difficult economic times, we do not have the luxury of spending scarce funding on programs that do not function to the immediate benefit of the taxpayer. Allowing damaging programs to exist is foolhardy.

The evidence is clear, on every website and every handout provided by these programs. It is all talk and very little action, and there is still no proof that anyone has actually been helped with the specific issue of partner abuse. After all this time, the successes should be obvious, but there are none.

Can we really continue to fund programs that only provide negative outcomes?

For more detail, including analysis, facts, and figures, visit the Stop Abusive and Violent Environments website and read the most recent report:

“Assaulting our Rights: How Domestic Violence Laws Curtail our Fundamental Freedoms.”

On February 22, Reid claimed on the Senate floor that “women aren’t abusive, most of the time.  Men when they’re out of work tend to become abusive.”

Now, 16 groups and publications are calling on Reid to issue an apology for unfairly stereotyping men.

Over 250 scholarly studies show women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their male partners, according to Martin Fiebert, professor of psychology at California State University.

Mainstream researchers have documented how domestic violence advocates often misrepresent the research:

-          Advocates have “let their ideological commitments overrule their scientific commitments” – Murray Straus, PhD, University of New Hampshire

-          New research data “are largely overlooked or discounted.” – Miriam Ehrensaft, PhD, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

-          Widespread domestic violence myths may be “harmful to women, men, children, and the institution of the family.” – Richard Gelles, PhD, University of Pennsylvania

“Sen. Reid’s one-sided comments are the latest example how persons slice-and-dice the data to mislead the public,” according to Marty Nemko, PhD of the National Organization of Men.  “If Sen. Reid truly wants to help unemployed men, he should stop unfairly vilifying them as abusers and make sure his new jobs bill targets those in greatest need.”

A recent Special Report,  Fifty Domestic Violence Myths,  documents that many assertions of the domestic violence industry are one-sided, unverifiable, or false.

Now the  Abusegate, Investigate! campaign is requesting a Congressional probe into the misleading claims and falsehoods espoused by industry representatives.

Two years ago Carol Burger of Boynton Beach, Fla. became unemployed and broke-up with her live-in girlfriend Jessica Kalish. On October 29, 2008, Burger attacked Kalish with a household screwdriver, stabbing her 222 times. Then Burger took her own life.

Days before the murder-suicide, Berger emailed a friend about her financial quandary: “I was really annoyed when I found out that Jess let her life insurance lapse for lack of payment.”

Research confirms that unemployment and financial strain can increase the risk of partner violence but does not, as Senator Reid alleges, result in more violence from men than women.

Reid’s remarks on the Senate floor can be seen below.

Over 250 scholarly studies show women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their male partners, according to Martin Fiebert, professor of psychology at California State University.

“Senator Reid’s bizarre and unfounded statement reveals an unimaginable disconnect from the millions of unemployed Americans who are not abusive. These persons are understandably frightened about their futures and the security of their families,” notes Paul Elam, editor-in-chief of Mensnewsdaily.com. “Mr. Reid needs to apologize immediately.”

Numerous political leaders have highlighted the existence of male victims of domestic violence:

– “Domestic violence touches the lives of Americans of all ages, leaving a devastating impact on women, men, and children of every background and circumstance.” — President Barack Obama

– “Domestic violence cuts across all races, all income brackets, all levels of education – and both sexes.” — Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell

– “When we think of domestic violence, we think of the women as being the victims. But it’s also men victimized as well.” — Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL)

The “Abusegate, Investigate!” campaign is requesting the government launch a probe into the widespread fraudulent and illegal practices of the domestic violence industry.

Many believe current domestic violence laws unduly infringe on Americans’ civil liberties. The Washington Civil Rights Council has termed domestic violence programs the “biggest civil rights roll-back since [the] Jim Crow era.”

The following 14 groups are demanding that Sen. Reid issue an apology for his sexist statement: CPF/Fatherhood Coalition, Dads and Moms of Michigan, Fathers’ and Children’s Equality, Fathers for Equal Rights of America, Illinois Fathers, Men and Fathers for Justice, Men’s Equality Conference, National Organization for Men, Petition for Child Support Reform, Shared Parenting Works, TABS (Taking Action against Bias in the System), Utah Father’s Rights Meetup Group, Washington Domestic Violence Press, and the Washington Civil Rights Council.

Welcome, Instapundit readers!

In the almost 40 years since the first shelter for battered women opened its doors, we have made noticeable progress in dealing with and denouncing domestic violence.

Nevertheless, much still needs to be done and the biggest challenge, in my view, is what to do about men.

Not men as perpetrators — there we seem to have a handle on things. Rather, I’m talking about the hundred thousand or so confirmed male victims who are, often violently, abused by their female partners every year.

Domestic violence is not a gender-specific reality. Women are capable of hitting, beating, abusing and killing their male partners.

Just how prevalent these attacks are depends on what statistical study you choose to highlight.

But based on what we know, there should be no argument that female violence against men is at least a problem worthy of much greater consideration than we have given it so far.
Gender neutral

According to a large-scale Statistics Canada study in 2005, the likelihood of a man being the victim of violent abuse by his female partner is almost the same as it is for a woman.
A \A “red silhouette” campaign to mark the 32 individuals killed by family violence in South Carolina in 2007; 28 of them women. Begun by Minnesota art students in 1990, the campaign has spread to 18 countries, including Canada. (Associated Press)

In this study, an estimated seven per cent of women and six per cent of men surveyed had encountered some form of spousal violence over the previous five years.

This means, StatsCan said, that roughly 653,000 women and 546,000 men considered themselves the victims of violence at the hands of a current or previous spouse or common-law partner, an estimate that was unchanged from an earlier study…

Full story at CBC News