Sociocultural and Legal Aspects of Violence against Men

From Journal of Psychosexual Health

Domestic violence is usually discussed in relation to women. Man is mostly considered as the perpetrator. However, because of the socioeconomic changes affecting the family structure in recent times, domestic violence is not limited to women. Men are unlikely to report the abusive behavior towards them, they are silent victims of the consequences. As the laws in our society favor women as victims of violence, these men do not get justice for their condition in the family and society. This article attempts to explore the extent of this problem and highlights its causes and effects. There is a need for gender neutral laws for domestic violence. Domestic violence should be considered as spousal violence.

Domestic violence has been recognized across the world as a form of violence that affects a person’s life in every way, physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically, and is a violation of basic human rights. In a recent study by Malik and Nadda, the most common spousal violence was found to be emotional followed by physical violence.

Domestic violence was recognized as a criminal offense in India in 1983. The offense is chargeable under section 498A of the Indian Penal Code. Scarce research data on domestic violence against men are available in the scientific literature. However, according to a recent study 51.5% of the males studied experienced violence at the hands of their wives/intimate partner at least once in their lifetime and 10.5% in the last 12 months.

Domestic violence must be recognized as a social and public health issue, and appropriate strategies and interventions should be implemented. Men too need help in crisis with family violence, especially by a spouse. The laws and legislation must include domestic violence against men as a punishable offense. Laws are needed to offer protection to both men and women from spousal violence.

Article details

Sociocultural and Legal Aspects of Violence Against Men
Sanjay Deshpande
First Published December 30, 2019 Research Article
DOI: 10.1177/2631831819894176
Journal of Psychosexual Health