Issue Which Needs Everyone’s Attention- “Domestic Violence on Men.”

Violence is an act committed with the intent to harm someone, mostly physically. When this cruelty takes place in a domestic setting , it is known as domestic violence. It is a heinous act to violate human rights. Any person who goes through it will find it to be a horrific event on an emotional, physical, and psychological level. Given that the crime occurs within the family, the victim is very hesitant to report it. Children who witness domestic violence in their families suffer emotional and psychological effects in addition to those that are experienced by the victim. When it comes to domestic abuse, the Indian mentality is still fixed on the idea that it only happens to women, and the possibility that domestic violence might happen to men does not even enter our consciousness. There is a widespread misconception that a male cannot be a victim of a woman. Men can also be the victims of domestic violence. Phrases like, \”Mard ko dard nahi hota\” (a man does not feel pain) are deeply embedded in our society and everyone of us is made to believe this. Hence, we think how a man can be traumatized or beaten in a marriage, but the reality is totally conflicting. The issue of domestic violence on women has been in the limelight But what has never come to everyone’s attention despite being the reality is domestic violence on men. 52.4% of males in India experience gender-based violence, according to a study of 1000 married men in Haryana\’s rural villages between the ages of 21 and 49. So let’s shed some light on the issue of domestic violence on men.

• Institutional discrimination

There aren\’t many remedies available for men, as it is generally believed that they are not victims of domestic violence or abuse. Even our laws are discriminatory in nature and tend to favour women at large. For example, according to section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), only a man can be held accountable for treating his wife cruelly. The law does not contain any provisions or subsections that would hold a woman accountable for domestic violence. No one, not even the police, pays attention to men who try to speak up and report the physical abuse and torture they are subjected to. The same law (498A), on one hand, safeguards women in general but is being abused again and again against men. A tonne of false cases where women falsely accuse men of rape or domestic violence are registered, and the sad part is that these sexist laws presuppose that a man can never be the victim. Women are not required to provide any sort of evidence to back up their claims. There aren’t many NGOs that stand with the male victims of abuse.

• What are the different types of domestic violence:

Section 3 of Domestic Violence Act, 2005, considers physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and economic abuse as a form of domestic voilence.

Physical abuse: The most commonly known and that occurs/reported frequently is domestic violence is physical assault. It comprises assault, criminal threat, and force as well as any behavior that might endanger a person\’s life, limb, or health and is of the kind to cause physical suffering. Pushing, slapping, punching, biting, beating with an object, etc. are some types of physical abuse.
Sexual abuse: Physical or verbal sexual abuse or sexual assault is a way in which domestic violence can be perpetrated. Sexual abuse includes making sexually offensive remarks about the victim; taking advantage of and utilising sexual force on a victim who is drunk, has poor judgement, is afraid of the offender, or both; displaying unwarranted envy that leads to a false charge of an adulterous relationship, etc.

Verbal abuse: Verbal abuse comprises remarks made to the victim by the abuser as well as threats, accusations, and warnings. It occurs when someone regularly denigrates another person to exert power and control over them. The most prevalent kind of abuse is this one. This form of domestic violence is often tolerated since the victims don\’t even realize they are experiencing it. Thus they become accustomed to it  but at the same time it makes them feel incompetent, affecting them at subconscious levels.

Emotional abuse: The act of dominating someone else emotionally by criticizing, humiliating, shaming, blaming, or otherwise manipulating them is known as emotional abuse. The main objective of emotional abuse is to isolate, denigrate, and silence the other person in order to exert control over them. One of the most difficult types of abuse to spot since it can be sneaky and subtle. It may, however, also be overt and deceptive.

Economic abuse: When one intimate partner has control over the other partner\’s access to economic resources, this is referred to as economic abuse, which reduces the victim\’s ability to sustain themselves and causes them to rely on the abuser financially.

Men are as likely to face these abuses as women, and moreover, the gender-biased laws and social constructs that say men have to be strong make them suffer in silence. If they show or expose their vulnerabilities, then they are labeled as being sissy, effeminate, and many other derogatory terms. The phrase \”Aaadmi hoke biwi se pit gya\” ( being a man, you got beaten by your wife.) hasn’t left our minds yet and all this makes the situation for men facing domestic abuse worse.