by Ben Atherton-Zeman--August 2006
Ending Men's ViolenceManhood and Violence: The Deadliest Equationby Michael Kimmel, PhD In the days and months following the tragedy at Columbine, the nation stared at the pictures of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold trying to understand the unfathomable - how these two young boys could arm themselves to the teeth and open fire on their classmates and teachers. The Myth of the "Battered Husband SyndromeBy Jack C. Straton, Ph.D. The most recurrent backlash against women's safety is the myth that men are battered as often as women. Suzanne Steinmetz [1] created this myth with her 1977 study of 57 couples, in which four wives were seriously beaten but no husbands were beaten. By a convoluted thought process [2] she concluded that her finding of zero battered husbands implied that men just don't report abuse and therefore 250,000 American husbands [3] are battered each year by their wives[4], a figure that exploded to 12million in the subsequent media feeding frenzy [5]. Men have never before been shy in making their needs known, so it is peculiar that in 17 years, this supposedly huge contingent of "battered men" has never revealed itself in the flesh. Men's Violence Against Womenby Christopher Kilmartin
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and too often we see domestic violence and rape defined as “women's issues." Since men do the vast majority of the damage, I think it's a men's issue. I'll begin with a story, not a very happy one, to set the tone. Why Are Anti-sexist Men Confronting Violence Against Women?The Ending Men's Violence Network of NOMAS is devoted to ending the whole range of men’s violence, against women, against children, and against one another. We believe that the world is bleeding from many forms of male violence, and that it must be stopped. We are sometimes asked, but more often people simply wonder without asking... What Batterer Programs Can Do Demonstrably and Reliably with All Men Ordered by the CourtsBy Phyllis B. Frank, , Director, VCS Domestic Violence Program for Men Batterer programs often confound even those who work closely with them. Courts, probation, prosecution, parole, advocates, and the public understandably have unfulfilled hopes about what batterer programs can accomplish. After thirty years of consistent trial, error and more trial, the NY Model for Batterer Programs has devised a simple list of what we know we can accomplish and measure and what we cannot be certain we can accomplish. NOMAS Endorses the NY Model for Batterer ProgramsAfter years of exploring a wide range of batterer program models, the National Council of NOMAS has given its full support to the New York Model for Batterer Programs (www.nymbp.org). This model was determined to be most in keeping with NOMAS principles and beliefs about sexism, domestic violence and batterer programs. Batterer programs, created in the mid 70's, were originally designed to "treat" offenders. Batterer Programs may be more Harmful than BeneficialWhen an abusive man is required by a Judge to attend a weekly local group "for batterers" for six months or a year, his partner and everyone who knows the situation is likely to breath a "Whew!" of relief, and think that now he is "getting the help he needs." It is a sad reality that, (self-serving claims and anecdotal stories to the contrary), there is no solid empirical evidence that any such groups have in fact ever significantly reduced or even altered the incidence of violence. Domestic Violence or Abuse are Not a "Mental Health Issues"People who burn down buildings, or set off bombs, or murder other people, may arguably have mental "problems," and no doubt "need help," but society does not view serious crimes as primarily "mental health" issues; it addresses them with prison terms, not with counseling groups or psychotherapy. Domestic abuse and even violence however have long been viewed more ambivalently by western society. Not a Two-Way street: Men are NOT the victims of what is meant by Domestic Violence and AbuseJust as some mental problems are more prevalent among women (e.g. depression) or men (e.g. alcoholism); many crimes are very, very highly correlated with gender. Men commit near 100% of forcible rapes, 90% of murders, etc. It is a simple fact that men are usually larger and physically stronger than their female partners. "Domestic Violence" as part of the broader issue of "Domestic Abuse""Domestic Violence" as part of the broader issue of "Domestic Abuse" Video records NOMAS-Boston supply drive for DV sheltersNOMAS Boston, the Boston Chapter of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism, holds their annual supply drive for local domestic violence shelters. Putting together a wish list of items needed by the shelters, the coordinated effort entailed setting up stations in front of grocery and department stores to collect donated items and create teachable moments for the community. Highlights of the Colorado Men Against Domestic Violence NOMAS RoundtableOn Saturday, January 16th representatives from fatherhood programs, domestic violence victim services providers, domestic violence offender treatment programs and others gathered to hear and discuss issues related to encouraging men to take a stand against domestic violence and build positive relationships. Featured at the roundtable were members of the National Organization of Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) Leadership Council. The Importance of Using Accountable Languageby Phyllis B. Frank and Barry Goldstein This article was conceived because of the frequency with which leaders of our movement and presenters at conferences use unaccountable language in our presentations and proposals, even as they deeply care about ending men’s violence against women and have devoted their lives to helping women partnered with abusive men. 2009 BrotherPeace Award goes to Barry GoldsteinThe EndingMen's Violence Network of NOMAS addresses all forms of violence by men, |
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