Video: A male victim of domestic violence
Clip illustrating a specific situation:
A male victim of domestic violence.
In connection with the provincial government policy for Intervention in matters of domestic violence: Prevention, detection and countering domestic violence, the Table de concertation en violence conjugale de Montréal (TCVCM, the Montréal domestic violence issue table) has set up a project to present some specific situations in terms of domestic violence. These are little known, rarely studied situations outside the “social norm” of a Caucasian heterosexual couple with no significant physical or mental challenges in which the aggressor is a man and the victim is a woman.
In order to provide concrete examples of a few specific situations involving domestic violence, the TCVCM produced three video clips. One featured a couple, both of whom are deaf; another featured a lesbian couple; and the third featured a male victim of spousal abuse. By virtue of its involvement in the activities of this issue table, the SAC collaborated in the creation of these clips. The organization has been encountering the last example of violence (spousal abuse of men) for 20 years. During this period, approximately 7% of the men who have come to the organization have reported that they have experienced domestic violence on a continual basis. This percentage represents approximately 10 to 12 men per year.
This clip presents what these men could experience: the impacts of this violence as well as the biases that are conveyed. It should be noted that this production only depicts the experience of men who are the victims of domestic violence. It does not deal with mutual violence, which is a very different situation.
We should emphasize that the testimonial presented at the end of the clip comprises certain limits. Since it is an actual personal experience, it does not outline every aspect of this issue. However, the overall content of the clip highlights the major elements common to the experiences of these men.
The mandate of the SAC in respect to men who are victims of spousal abuse is to:
- Offer assistance;
- Reduce risk and improve protection factors, and foster awareness of the various forms of domestic violence and their impacts;
- Encourage the development of intervention expertise in various specific situations;
- Encourage real cross-sectoral collaboration.
Some statistics relating to men who are victims of spousal abuse
- Male victims of offences committed in a domestic context and the rate of offences according to age group and offence category/2006 Statistics
12-17 | 18-24 | 25-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70+ | 12-70+ | % | ||
Homicide and attempt to commit murder |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0,58 | |
Sexual assault | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0,45 | |
Assault | 34 | 287 | 293 | 652 | 531 | 193 | 64 | 14 | 2068 | 70,82 | |
Kidnapping / Forcible confinement |
0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0,45 | |
Criminal harassment |
4 | 28 | 39 | 90 | 84 | 28 | 4 | 6 | 283 | 9,69 | |
Uttering threats |
8 | 64 | 59 | 161 | 157 | 60 | 11 | 6 | 526 | 18,01 | |
Total | 51 | 387 | 394 | 913 | 781 | 287 | 81 | 26 | 2920 | 100 | |
% | 1,75 | 13,25 | 13,49 | 31,27 | 26,75 | 9,83 | 2,77 | 0,89 | 100 |
Source :
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Ministère de la Sécurité publique
« Statistiques 2006 sur la criminalité commise dans un contexte conjugal au Québec » 2007 (2006 Québec statistics on crimes against the person committed in a spousal situation)
http://www.msp.gouv.qc.ca/prevention/statistiques/conjugale/
2006/statistiques_2006_violence_conjugale.pdf
25% of domestic violence cases where men are victims involve homosexual couples.
Source :
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International Centre for the Prevention of Crime
« Safety and Prevention in Quebec: First attempt at an overarching approach » 2007, page 67
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/safeque-en.asp
http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org/publications/pub_185_1.pdf
39% of men are victims of domestic violence are victims of the current spouse, 42% are victims of the former spouse and 19% are victims of their intimate friend.
Source :
-
International Centre for the Prevention of Crime
« Safety and Prevention in Quebec: First attempt at an overarching approach » 2007, page 49
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/res/cp/res/safeque-en.asp
http://www.crime-prevention-intl.org/publications/pub_185_1.pdf
The organization offers services to men presenting a wide range of problem situations or at high risk of domestic violence.
In order to better evaluate the various conflictual situations that the SAC handles, we have developed a tool that allows us to clarify actual roles and interpersonal aspects. The continuum presented here provides an overview of the tool differentiating various power relationships.
References
Denis Laroche, (2003), La violence conjugale envers les hommes et les femmes au Québec et au Canada en 1999. www.stat.gouv.qc.ca
Sophie Torrent (2001), L'homme battu, un tabou au cour du tabou.
Ms. Torrent is a Swiss social worker who has written an extremely interesting book on the experiences of men who are victims of spousal abuse.
Health Canada (1999), Husband Abuse: An Overview of Research and Perspectives.
This research, which raises many issues related to the recognition of this social problem, is available free of charge at the following address:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/violencefamiliale/pdfs/husbandfrench.pdf
Sylvie Thibault et Dominique Damant (2002), La violence conjugale chez les couples d'hommes gais dans la revue Intervention (no 116, pp 82-92).