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Men frequently the victims of domestic violence too

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Domestic Violence on Thursday, October 11, 2012.

In light of October being National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it’s important to bring up the fact that men are often the victims of domestic violence.

In general, violence against anyone — man or woman — is never OK. However, men often find themselves in a tough situation as their claims of abuse are met with blank stares, while others simply think the claims are a mere attempt to win a child custody battles. The stigma attached to men being abused is also not helped by the fact that many men do not report the abuse and agencies lack actual statistics.

Several years back the National Centers for Disease Control reported that 40 percent of the victims of domestic violence are actually men. And, of those incidents involving a deadly weapon, in more than half of the cases men were also the victims.

This is why it’s important for men to always report any instances of domestic violence. Keep in mind domestic abuse is anything that is done with the intent being to instill fear or harm, which can include emotional and verbal abuse.

If going through a divorce where child custody is an issue, when domestic violence of any kind has played a role, make sure to request an evaluator is brought in to the situation in order to see what the relationship is between the children and both parents and to take note if the abuse impacts those relationships.

Lastly, don’t worry about stigma. It’s important for fathers who are victims of abuse to seek out help in order to protect themselves and their children.

Source: The Huffington Post, “The Five Musts For Dealing With Domestic Violence In Your Divorce,” Joseph E. Cordell, Oct. 10, 2012

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