Season 2 Episode 6: The Male Victim
About This Episode
Both men and women can be controlling, and both men and women can violent. Domestic abuse occurs in same-sex and heterosexual relationships. This means both men and women can be victims of domestic violence, yet domestic abuse–informed practice requires a gender analysis and an understanding of coercive control.
In this episode, Ruth and David examine some of the controversies and challenges associated with identifying and providing assistance to male victims of domestic violence including:
Cultural understandings of masculinity and gender roles as barriers to disclosure and assistance
Perpetrators claiming the mantle of victimhood as means to manipulate partners, professionals, and systems
The need to recognize men's histories of victimization and trauma without using it as excuse for abusive behavior
How mapping patterns of coercive control can help identify male victims, protect them, and inoculate professionals against manipulations by perpetrators claiming victim status
Additional Resources
Paper: Unraveling the Gender Paradox at the Center of the Safe & Together Model
Safe & Together Institute’s domestic abuse–informed trainings
Safe & Together Institute’s upcoming events
David Mandel’s book Stop Blaming Mothers and Ignoring Fathers: How to Transform the Way We Keep Children Safe from Domestic Violence