The DesertLight Journal

October is DV awareness month

Thanks to Steve Van Valkenburg, we are able to provide you with a pre-written letter to send to your local media. It covers all the important points and includes links for more info. Your knowledge of your local area is important here, since you know the names and locations of newspapers, etc., and may be aware of radio and TV programs we haven't heard about. All of the people mentioned are willing and able to appear publicly to discuss these issues. Just copy and paste, then print, fax or e-mail.

To the staff at [insert media name here] As you are probably aware, October is Domestic Violence awareness month.  Domestic violence is a serious issue that affects both men and women. However, the media has traditionally concentrated on those cases where women are victims and men are abusers.  Many people are concerned that not enough coverage has been given to those cases where men are being abused.  Here are a few facts to consider regarding this: Each year, 1.5 million American women are severely assaulted by their "intimate partners." It is less known that 835,000 men are also assaulted annually (this is from a study published last year by the Justice Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).  Given the stigma attached to men reporting domestic violence, these figures could be much closer to parity. Women often compensate for their smaller size by using weapons such as knives, guns, baseball bats and fireplace pokers. One study found that 86% of female-on-male violence involved weapons, contrasted with 25% in cases of male-on-female violence (McLeod, Justice Quarterly (2) 1984 pp. 171-193). Men are usually reluctant to call the police in a domestic dispute for fear of ridicule.  Also, police will often arrest the man even when it is the woman committing the violence. Thousands of women's shelters exist in the United States and other western countries.  There are only two men's shelters in the United States, along with one in Ireland. Domestic violence hurts us all, either directly or indirectly.  Not only does domestic violence traumatize its victims, it also creates an atmosphere of mistrust between men and women in general.  While it is important to maintain coverage of women victims, proportionate coverage should also be given to those cases where men are victims.  It is important that both sides of the story are told. It is hoped that you will take these opinions into consideration in future reports. Sincerely, [your name here] Links and contacts for more information: Richard Hayden, BSW is a counselor and abuse survivor in the state of Washington. His e-mail is abusedguy@yahoo.com Trudy W. Schuett is the publisher of The Desert Light Journal, a bi-weekly e-zine and author of "Friends to the End," a novel focusing on male victims of DV. The site contains links and resources for victims, such as online support groups, etc. http://www.desertlightjournal.homestead.com/index.html Bibliography of studies on women's violence .http://www.csulb.edu/~mfiebert/assault.htm Glenn Sacks is the only regularly published male columnist in the US who writes about gender issues from a perspective unapologetically sympathetic to men.  His most recent: "Nowhere to Go: Why Does LA County Refuse to Help Male Victims of Domestic Violence?" in the Los Angeles Daily News (8/21/01). http://www.glennjsacks.com Shatterd Men is a Christian-based counseling/support website, with a companion Yahoo Club. http://www.shatterdmen.com Jan and Tedd Brown run a hotline based in Maine, providing information for male victims. The Battered Men's Helpline 1-877-643-1120 access code: 0757 http://www.noexcuse4abuse.org