Domestic Violence against men

Domestic Violence is a reality that has been accepted across the world that affects an individual’s life in every manner like mentally, emotionally, physically and psychologically. Many countries have accepted domestic violence as a serious threat to a person’s life irrespective to the gender. In India domestic violence has also identified as a crime and provides protection and relief from it. Domestic violence is a pain that always discussed in relation to women. Man is always considered as the doer. In recent time the socioeconomic changes affecting the family structure and domestic violence is not limited to women only. Men are also is the part of this violence. Men also are abused emotionally, physically, psychologically, verbally, emotionally. Men do not report these abusive behaviors of their wives and are silent victims of the consequences. This situated arose because pathetic thinking of society that the men are stronger than women and they can defend themselves. The laws in our society always favors woman as victim of violence and the hapless men do not get justice for their guiltless condition in the society and family. There is a need for gender neutral laws for domestic violence. Domestic violence should be considered as spousal violence. Spousal abuse is a very serious problem that is not just faced by women but as of men. While news of dowry related crime and harassment against women are reported extensively there are a many growing numbers of cases of men who are the victim of harassment and face psychological and physical abuse at the hands of their wives.But now India keeps pace with the rest of the world and makes the laws against domestic violence gender unbiased. Indian man facing domestic violence by their female partner or wife and it is a harsh reality. However, no one even society or our government has taken any stand on addressing domestic violence against men.In 2004, the National Family Health Survey has found that about 1.8% or an about 60 Lakh women have perpetrated physical violence against their husbands without any aggravation. However, husbands are more likely to be attacked and threatened by male relatives of the wives than the wife herself. But the more strange fact is that the men are not even asked if they are victims of domestic violence in these surveys.
Today’s time many women have serious anger management issues. They also seem to take the stress of their workplace to the home. This is also one of the main reasons of domestic violence against men. And the other reasons are intolerance and anger at non ful fillment of expectations or desires. Sometimes, failure of monetary demands of wife also leads to abuse and violence to the husband. Time has changed and there are many men whose wives are more educated and earn more than their husbands. However, the burden of running the house still rests on the man as owing to 16th century patriarchal beliefs and this encourage the path for abuse of men. Such a law could allow the husbands to seek maintenance from their abusive wife and live their life free and with dignity. This patriarchal thinking eulogizes and patronizes emotional castration of boy child from a very young age which teaches them to tolerate abuse and feel proud about making sacrifices. By Owing to this social conditioning in very young age a majority of victimized men wear a fake smile on their face and hide their scars and suffer in solitude.

Need for Gender Neutral Laws

In cases where men are wrongly accused of dowry or violence a law which can address these fake allegations is the need of the hour. It is important that domestic violence should be considered as spousal violence and it must not be differentiated by gender. In India Domestic violence act is only for women. But the Studies show that men are also the victims of domestic violence. Hence it is necessary that there is need of neutral law and amendments must be done pertaining to the violence against men. The society and family structure are changing now and the same is also true with the norms and values regarding gender violence. Men are mentally and physically harassed by their wives and their relatives. Hence, their problems must be recognized as a public health and social issue and appropriate action, strategy and law must be implemented. They need help in family violence especially by their spouse. Even the legislation must include domestic violence against men as a punishable offense. Women and Men both are the pillars of our society and family. So it is important for both that laws offer protection to both from spousal violence.