Domestic Violence Against Men and Boys Awareness Month is observed in October. It's a tough subject to handle as it is quite sensitive and emotional for both victims of the violence. The definition of domestic and dowry abuse has changed after Nisha Sharma’s dowry case was reported in May 2003, conveniently omitting the fact that Munish Dalal and his family were acquitted in February 2012, ending their 10-year nightmare. The government of India went on to enact the gender-biased Domestic Violence Act in 2005, which defined domestic violence as a ‘family problem’ in which only a woman may can a victim and only a male could be the offender.
Domestic violence has traditionally been defined as a "male beating a woman" by feminists and leftists, and it has been permitted. Unsurprisingly, once the leftists gained power in 1975, the issue began to emerge from the shadows with the passage of one after another of gender-biased and family breaking legislation.
Over the last 50 years, society has come to accept that, while both men and women may be violent and abusive in roughly equal numbers, men are more physically damaging to their partners. Although the courts are still hesitant to intervene in female on male aggression/abuse, the emotional harm that a woman may inflict on a man and its long-term effects are just now beginning to be explored and recognised. It is with the efforts of the Save Indian Family Movement that more and more people have begun to recognize that men can be victims too. The success stories from our weekly meetings are reminders of how much our activities matter to victims.
Domestic abuse instances against males go unreported for a variety of reasons
There are a variety of reasons why men do not expose the abuse they are subjected to from their spouses or intimate relationships.
Generalised Stereotypes against males– Men frequently feel discriminated against or uneasy about speaking up about the violence they witness because they are afraid of being judged and labelled as wimpy and effeminate. They believe that their fight against violence would be in vain due to the Indian Constitution's gender-specific rules and regulations. They believe they have failed as protectors and nurturers of their families.
Fear of fake cases– Men frequently believe that disclosing the violence would create undue inconvenience, and they do not want to face legal penalties as a result of our Constitution's gender-biased or gender-specific legislation. They believe they must leave their families and do not want to lose custody of their children, which may be a lengthy procedure.
Societal and familial pressures– The majority of Indians remain with their families after they marry. Men are ashamed to talk about violence because of this issue. The society also plays an important influence in perpetuating gender-biased legislation and prejudices about a specific gender.
Denial– The majority of people believe that domestic violence primarily affects women. When they learn that a guy might be a victim of domestic abuse, they live in denial. So, in general, no one really wants to talk about it.
When neither the government nor the judiciary is doing so, it is high time for society to open its doors to male survivors of domestic abuse and assist them with fairness, justice, equality, and understanding.
The battle to end domestic abuse against men is ongoing, and I am certain that with the work of Men's Rights Activists and the Save Indian Family Movement, we will be able to convince the government to take Men's Issues into account as well.