Domestic Violence against Men - Essay Example

?A Qualitative Study on Domestic Violence against Men Introduction This paper seeks to evidence the existence of domestic violence against men in the society, and understand their thought and feelings and the help they receive to help them move from the violent environments. This paper responds to the fact that domestic violence has been widely understood by the average citizen, the media and authorities as a crime that is perpetrated by abusive men against defenseless women. Consequently, a lot of attention is given to female victims and funding to combat the problem is primarily used on programs that support women whereas male victims hardly receive any attention or help (Watson, 2010). The paper takes a qualitative approach on the topic and information required will be obtained from organizations campaigning for male victims of domestic violence and male victims of domestic violence. 2. Background Surveys on domestic violence like that conducted by the British Crime Survey (1996) indicate and acknowledge that domestic violence against men occur alongside domestic violence against women, and gay and lesbian partners. They also acknowledge that the majority of the society and the government focus only on domestic violence in which women are the victims. Neither do they want to recognize that men suffer equally from domestic violence as much as women. Pagelow (1985) accepts that female partners can be violent, and create a violent and fearful environment for their male partners and he comments on the inadequacy of evidence indicating that this is a large syndrome as it is with females. A high acceptance by women of violence against men was demonstrated by a study conducted by Murray (2006). Contrary to the popular view that women only hit in defense, Palin-Davis (2005) reveals that women equally hit first just as men do. Several media reports indicate the prevalence of domestic violence with men being the victims. One article in the Guardian postulated that more than 40% of domestic violence cases have men being the victims (Campbell 2010). On the other hand, MenWeb (2010) indicated that about 5.37 million men are battered annually. Several news stories in Africa, and The UK reveal the prevalence of domestic violence against men. A study conducted in the United States showed that 40 out of 100 domestic violence cases in the state involved men as victims with women being the perpetrators of the crime (Oregon Counseling, 2007). The study further revealed that about 400, 000 women fall victim to domestic violence annually, thanks to their spouses or intimate partners. From the above statistics, it is estimated that between 300,000 and 400,000 men fall victim to acts of domestic violence as perpetrated by their girl friends or wives. Oregon Counseling (2007) postulates that the reason domestic violence against men is treated with less focus is because the crime appears to be so low to an extent that getting reliable estimates is an uphill task. The organization also notes that the motivations and purposes for committing domestic violence are, more often than not, significantly different between the different genders (Oregon Counseling, 2007). On the other hand, the believing the tales of men being beaten by their girlfriends or spouses is a challenge for most people considering that men with bruises are assumed to have been injured during a fight with another man. Men also get discouraged from reporting domestic violence cases against them owing to the fact that their audiences get so astonished to an extent of making them feel that no one believes their “fairy” tales. According to the George (1994), Farrell (2001), Hines et al (2007) and Mankind Initiative (2007), male victims who seek for help from social services or police are sometimes ridiculed and this contributes greatly to the feelings of embarrassment by victims who are willing to open up and seek for help. They are also 3 times likely to be arrested instead of the women abusing them (Kelly, 2003).On the contrary, women are accorded quick help and support and this encourages them to report and open up (Robertson and Murachver, 2009). A survey conducted by Dispatches (1998) concludes that 49% of male victims never sought assistance from police for fear that the police will disbelieve them or be unsympathetic. Male victims are also reluctant to seek for support because the violence reduces their confidence and self-esteem. In addition, they want to remain ‘manly’ to the external world (Edwards 2006). Even when hurt, they will easily not disclose the female attacker (Rand and Strom, 1997). It is rational to state that the problem of domestic violence against men has not yet been defined sufficiently to end pervasive stereotypes of women as non-violent, and encourage social and legal assistance for male victims. Male victims have not been given enough attention for them to open up and express what they go through physically, mentally and emotionally. This research responds to this gap by exploring the thoughts and feelings of male victims of domestic violence and the type of help they receive from the police and the relevant organizations after reporting. 3. Method i. Aims The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the feelings and thoughts of male victims of domestic violence and the help available to them. The research will consider the amount of support and help available to male victims of domestic violence with a focus on understanding the issues of masculinity, organization and the society. This study hypothesizes that male victims of domestic violence receive little recognition and little help is available for them. ii. Particular method The study will rely on a qualitative research to achieve its aim and this will be done through media text study. Partly, the research will rely on records of interviews previously done targeting victims and groups or organizations that help male domestic violence victims. Qualitative research as a method was chosen because quantitative approaches do not give a true picture of the extent and nature of domestic violence faced by men. In addition, they do not facilitate a deeper understanding of the thoughts and feelings of male victims of domestic violence. Walby and Myhill (2001) explain that domestic violence against men is a vulnerable and sensitive topic. Data to be used in the study will also be drawn from records of organizations that support men who are victims of domestic violence or campaign against domestic violence. Organizations campaigning for male victims of domestic violence will be instrumental in identifying male victims of domestic violence and providing information on the help available to these victims. These organizations have worked closely with the victims as their advocates and thus they are also useful in providing an insight into their feelings and thoughts. Five such organizations will be randomly picked and contacted for information relating to the subject. Some websites that will be relied on during the research include: http://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/ One of the most important media texts that will be used in this study will be discussion threads. Discussion threads will be an important feature in this study considering that the secretive nature of the topic makes it hard to identify the range of organizations campaigning for male victims of domestic violence. The discussion threads that will be relied on will include the following: Because of this, a list of these organizations will be obtained and 5 of them will be handpicked randomly for the critical evaluation of the subject. iii. Procedures, tasks and materials The study will mainly rely on secondary sources and previously documented first hand accounts of domestic violence cases. Considering that no interviews will be conducted, ethical issues arising from the study will be significantly reduced. The study takes it into account that through these recorded first hand accounts, victims experiences, feelings as well as the circumstance surrounding their situations are captured without the risk of infringing on their privacy rights. Malloy et al (2003) explain that when people are asked directly whether or not acts of violence have occurred, their responses give a clearer picture of domestic violence than whether these acts are first recognized as crime or if they eventually resulted in an arrest. iv. Data analysis The study will employ qualitative data analysis precisely media text analysis. This method is more relevant given that the study mainly focuses on the feelings and thought of the victims and the type of support that they receive. Most of the information obtained will be in narrative form as opposed to being numerical in form. Considering the nature of the subject under study, the biographical approach will be assumed with the aim of establishing victims feelings and experiences with domestic violence. Yet again, specific domestic violence events will be investigated and comparisons made with more or less similar experiences by other individuals. Data analysis will be based on an inductive approach with thematic codes being used to establish data patterns in various sources. The inductive data analysis approach focuses on the emergence of patterns, categories or themes from the data rather than these being imposed on the data before collection and/or analysis. The data will then be compared with data from secondary sources. v. Time scale/plan of work The timescale for this study is five months. The First week will be used for performing preliminary preparations. The next three weeks will be used for literature review in which case various methodologies applied in qualitative research will be reviewed among other things. Data collection will consume the next three weeks, at this time focus being specifically spent on finding literature, discussion threads and public forums that present issues related to domestic violence against men. The data will then be analysed on the 8th and 9th week of the project before submission and presentation of the report is done on the 10th and final week. Activity W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 Preliminary preparations Literature review Data collection Data analysis Report Writing First Report Editing Final Editing Report Presentation vi. Resources: The main resources that will be required for the study include books, newspaper articles, and journals related to the subject of domestic violence. The study will also greatly rely on websites, and discussion threads to obtain data related to domestic violence against men. This is especially the case since a lot of information will be obtained from the Internet which knows no geographical boundaries. 4. Limitations of the Study Beyond any doubt, every study has its limitations. Some of the limitations of this study may relate to the reliance on selective and incomplete documents which means that some aspects of the sponsoring organizations or events may not be captured in some data sources. What this means is that some data sources may be biased in one way or another which might ultimately affect the results of the study. 5. Ethical Considerations In every scientific study, ethical concerns must be considered. Measures have been put in place to ensure on ethical concerns are raised before, during and after the study. The guidelines outlined by the British Society of Criminology (BSC) Code of Ethics for Researchers and the requirements of Leeds Met ethical regulations and guidelines will be observed to ensure the interview is conducted in an ethical manner. Since the study will not involve human participants, issues such as informed consent, and personal privacy rights will not be a major concern. However, in the event that there is a need to secure privacy, the study will take measures in this respect. The study involves finding data from various sources. In a bid to ensure that breach of privacy rights does not occur in respect of the organizations from which data will be obtained, necessary consultations will be undertaken and permissions secured in advance of the actual study. Furthermore, the study will properly reference and cite or somehow acknowledge the various sources of data used to avoid issues related to copyright and plagiarism offences. In the event that victims’ real names are encounter in the research process and new names will be assigned to protect the individuals’ identities. Since the study may involve replicating excerpts from various sources which are owned by organizations, there is a chance that copyrights may be infringed. This issue will be solved by seeking written permission from the particular publishers or authors of the various sources that are excerpted. The study does not involve physical effort or factors that predispose the researchers to physical harm. In this respect, there is little to worry about getting harmed in the research process. In summary, it is hoped that the measures outlined above will sufficiently address potential ethical issues arising from the study. 6. Discussion Based on various media texts, a media text analysis will be conducted to establish the feelings and thoughts of male victims of domestic violence and the help that they receive from various quarters after their experiences. Hopefully, the study will fill the knowledge gap in respect of domestic violence against men with considering that most studies on domestic violence are directed at women. References British Society of Criminology, 2006. Code of Ethics for Researchers in the Field of Criminology. Available at www.britsoccrim.org/ethical.htm [Accessed 30th March, 2012] Dispatches, 1998. Survey of Male Victims of Domestic Violence. Available at www.dewar4research.org [Accessed 30th March, 2012] British Crime Survey, 1996. Domestic violence: findings from the BCS self completion questionnaire. Available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk [Accessed 30th March, 2012] Campbell D. (5 September 2010) More than 40% of domestic violence victims are male, report reveals. The Guardian. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/sep/05/men-victims-domestic-violence [Accessed 30th March, 2012] Edwards, T., 2006. Cultures of Masculinity. Oxon. Routlodge. Farrell, W., 2001. The Myth of Male Power: why men are the disposable sex. Berkley Books. New York. George, M., 1994. Riding the Donkey Backwards: Men as the Unacceptable Victims of Martial Violence. Journal of Men’s Studies (2), pp 137-159. Hines, D., Brown, J. & Dunning, E., 2007. Characteristics of Callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men. Journal of Family Violence. (20), pp 63-72. Kelly, L., 2003. Disabusing the Definition of Domestic Abuse: how Women Batter Men and the Role of the Feminist State. Florida State University Law Review, (30), 791-855. Malloy, K., McCloskey, K., Grigsby, N. & Gardner, D., 2003. Women’s Use of Violence within Intimate Relationships. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma. (2), pp 37- 59. Mankind Initiative, 2007. Male Victims of Domestic Abuse: The Challenge They Face. Available at www.mankind.org.uk [Accessed 30th March, 2012] MenWeb 2010. Battered Men - The Hidden Side of Domestic Violence 5.365 million men battered each year, silent too long ... Available at http://www.batteredmen.com/ [Accessed 30th March, 2012] Murray, S., 2006. Paper presented at conference on Trends in Intimate Violence Intervention. New York University. Oregon Counseling, 2007. About Domestic Violence Against Men. Available at http://www.oregoncounseling.org/Handouts/DomesticViolenceMen.htm [Accessed 30th March, 2012] Pagelow, M., 1985. The Battered Husband Syndrome: Social problem or much ado about nothing? In N.Johnson (Ed) Martial Violence. Routledge. Boston. Palin-Davis, S., 2005. Male victims of female perpetrated domestic violence. Social Work Monographs. Norwich. UEA. Rand, M. & Strom, K., 1997. Violence-Related Injuries Treated in Hospital Emergency Departments. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. US Department of Justice. Washington, DC. Robertson, K. & Murachver, T., 2009. Attitudes and Attributions Associated With Female and Male Partner Violence. Journal of Applied Social Psychology (7), pp 1481. Walby, S. & Myhill, A., 2001. New Survey Methodologies in Researching Violence against Women. British Journal of Criminology (41), pp 502-522. Watson, B., 2010. A Hidden Crime: Domestic Violence Against Men Is a Growing Problem. Available at http://www.dailyfinance.com/2010/01/30/a-hidden-crime-domestic-violence-against-men-is-a-growing-probl/ [Accessed 30th March, 2012] Appendix 1: Invitation via Email Hello, as a final year student at xxx University, I am interested in researching about domestic violence against male victims for my dissertation. I am interested in working with organizations like yours in finding facts surrounding the phenomenon. In respect of this, I kindly ask you to participate in an interview that will take approximately 30 minutes, the subject being domestic violence as perpetrated by females against their male counterparts. The objective of the research is to understand how victims feel and the help they receive. In addition, the study focuses on society’s attitudes and reactions toward the victims’ plight. The study will be done confidentially as I seek your expert view in the matter. I will remain grateful for your help. Kindly confirm your interest in participating in the interview by contacting on this email: xxxxxxx. Please give your response by xxxxx so as to allow time for necessary arrangements. Thanks for your time even as I hope to receive your response soon. Appendix 2: Pre-interview Script Thanks for participating in the study. The area of domestic violence against males is less researched about and this is the reason we are conducting this study. The interview will focus on the help that your organization offers to victims of domestic violence and your thoughts and feelings regarding the subject. The interview will be conducted confidentially and no information will be disclosed to third parties against your wish. You have the right to discontinue your participation in the interview at any time without the obligation to provide an explanation. Appendix 3: Debriefing Script after the Interview I wish to express my gratitude for taking your time to participate in the study. I wish to inform you once again that the study, done in confidence, is aimed at establishing thoughts, attitudes, reactions and other facts relating to about domestic violence against male victims. I hope that the research will be useful in improving awareness about the phenomenon and in providing help to male victims. Kindly be free to contact me in case you have any questions regarding the study. Once again, thank you. Read More