News Headlines

Our Top News Stories From Around the World . . .

Violent Women-Abused Men

Domestic Violence is not a Gender Issue

Jun 30, 2010 Karen Stephenson

Domestic abuse is a crime that is not identified by gender or country

News stories are reporting that husband abuse is a growing concern in many countries.

Asian News International, Thaindian and the Central News Agency have reported that verbal abuse and physical abuse is on the rise. The only difference is that the spousal abuse that is on the rise is women abusing men.

Male Abuse in Taiwan

Domestic violence statistics in Taiwan were released in February 2010 by the Taiwanese Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Committee. The Central News Agency (CNA) reported that in 2009, over 4,428 men sought help after being abused by their wives.

Chang Hsiu-yuan, senior secretary of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Committee, stated in an interview to the CNA, “These men suffered verbal or physical abuse from their wives. One reason is that some women earn more money than men, so they play a dominant role at home and begin to curse or beat their husbands.” She also commented that public awareness campaigns have educated the general public about gender equality and this includes that husband abuse also exists in society.

The Ministry of Interior set up a family abuse hotline ten years ago and in 2002 1,325 abused men called looking for help. In seven years, the statistics have more than tripled.

Husband Abuse among Malay Men

In May 2009, Asian News International reported that men are also victims of domestic violence. In the news story "Malay Men Suffering Violence at the Hands of Wives," Rozaisi Razali , CEO of the Penang Integrity Institute said there were at least 50 cases of men being physically beaten up by wives between 2006 and 2008. He stated that there was a case in which the wife set fire to her husband. Razali believes that there are other unreported cases.

Scottish Domestic Violence Statistics

On January 22, 2010, Thaindian News reported that Scottish research on domestic abuse revealed that husband abuse is frequent and more often than not, unreported. The government study found that while 21% of women do not report domestic violence, 40% of men don’t report physical abuse. This study also indicates that one in three partner abuse victims are male.

Shelters for Abused Men

There is no shortage of shelters for abused men in Holland. Thaindian News reported on February 9, 2009 that the Dutch Health Ministry provided funds to Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht to provide shelters for men. This initiative came as a response to the growing number of men who are abused.

These shelters are for men abused by women and for men in homosexual relationships who suffer abuse. This news story also states that these shelters are for men who refuse to give in to family pressure to commit honor killings and have nowhere else to go.

The Dutch Health Ministry recently raised its budget for domestic abuse from 55 million to 73 million euros (US$67million to $89 million). The annual domestic violence budget for 2010 is estimated to be 87 million euros (US $106 million).

Abused Men in Canada and the U.S.

For over ten years, men’s groups and human rights organizations have advocated for help and shelters in Canada and the United States. Senator Anne C. Cools held public consultations in the late 1990s that revealed a plethora of data validating male abuse exists. The province of Alberta is making headway but producing literature to help abused men. Men Abused by Women in Intimate Relationships has a lot of information and provides the phone number of a Strathmore shelter that accommodate abused men with or without their children.