CMY3705
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, 1. The phenomenon of battered men
David’s story of abuse by his wife can only be defined as husband battering.
Husband battering is a form of domestic abuse which often includes physical
assault like hitting but is not limited to verbal or emotional abuse. Verbal and/or
emotional abuse includes degradation, intimidation and threats. All the things
David had experienced during the 10 years he was married to his wife. His
depression was due to his wife’s behaviour towards him and his son. Depression
caused by the intimidation and assault made him as if there was no other way out
of their relationship other than suicide.
Abuse done by women to men is often overlooked or ignored since society has the
belief that a woman is incapable of causing serious injuries as opposed to men
abusing women. However, studies show us that women tend to use weapons
when attacking their partner leading to more serious injuries or even loss of
consciousness. Due to the small stature of women they tend to use weapons to
harm their spouse, which is what David’s wife did when she stabbed him.
The hesitation David had to report the abuse is not an invalid feeling. Husband
abuse is seen as controversial and often the man is seen as emasculate. David
was also stuck in this cycle for 10 years with no way of an “out”. According to
experts, husband abuse is not as uncommon as society makes it out to be. Due to
this view men are less likely to report their abuse. Even when they report,
secondary victimisation could happen, deterring them from taking the case any
further than reporting. Secondary victimisation occurs when the victim reports their
abuse to the police and receives further victimisation by the police. It often
happens when police do not believe them, ridicule them or deter them from
reporting in the first place. The insensitivity of police while handling such a
sensitive case and vulnerable victim is horrendous. David had already felt alone
and isolated, if he reported the crime to the police and experienced secondary
victimisation it would further inflame his trauma. There are several processes of
secondary victimisation, reporting being the one and the court process also being
part of it. Being open to the defence for questioning, not being informed of the
court process and what they would need to prepare themselves for. This includes,
according to Vetten, privacy of the victim during the court process, what the entire
process includes and why the defence might be asking certain questions to the
victim and being in direct line of sight of the defence while on the stand.
These are all things David could have experience and will most likely experience
when reporting the assault by his wife. The 10 years it took him before finally
having the courage to leave is an excellent example of the theory of separation
assault. Separation assault theory describes the psychosocial and psychological
influence that had a hold over David from leaving his wife. When David decided to
leave his he suffered severe injuries inflicted by her trying to intimidate and
threaten him from leaving. This is what often happens according to the theory. The
abuser in this case David’s wife tries to deter him from leaving her by hurting him
2
1
, 1. The phenomenon of battered men
David’s story of abuse by his wife can only be defined as husband battering.
Husband battering is a form of domestic abuse which often includes physical
assault like hitting but is not limited to verbal or emotional abuse. Verbal and/or
emotional abuse includes degradation, intimidation and threats. All the things
David had experienced during the 10 years he was married to his wife. His
depression was due to his wife’s behaviour towards him and his son. Depression
caused by the intimidation and assault made him as if there was no other way out
of their relationship other than suicide.
Abuse done by women to men is often overlooked or ignored since society has the
belief that a woman is incapable of causing serious injuries as opposed to men
abusing women. However, studies show us that women tend to use weapons
when attacking their partner leading to more serious injuries or even loss of
consciousness. Due to the small stature of women they tend to use weapons to
harm their spouse, which is what David’s wife did when she stabbed him.
The hesitation David had to report the abuse is not an invalid feeling. Husband
abuse is seen as controversial and often the man is seen as emasculate. David
was also stuck in this cycle for 10 years with no way of an “out”. According to
experts, husband abuse is not as uncommon as society makes it out to be. Due to
this view men are less likely to report their abuse. Even when they report,
secondary victimisation could happen, deterring them from taking the case any
further than reporting. Secondary victimisation occurs when the victim reports their
abuse to the police and receives further victimisation by the police. It often
happens when police do not believe them, ridicule them or deter them from
reporting in the first place. The insensitivity of police while handling such a
sensitive case and vulnerable victim is horrendous. David had already felt alone
and isolated, if he reported the crime to the police and experienced secondary
victimisation it would further inflame his trauma. There are several processes of
secondary victimisation, reporting being the one and the court process also being
part of it. Being open to the defence for questioning, not being informed of the
court process and what they would need to prepare themselves for. This includes,
according to Vetten, privacy of the victim during the court process, what the entire
process includes and why the defence might be asking certain questions to the
victim and being in direct line of sight of the defence while on the stand.
These are all things David could have experience and will most likely experience
when reporting the assault by his wife. The 10 years it took him before finally
having the courage to leave is an excellent example of the theory of separation
assault. Separation assault theory describes the psychosocial and psychological
influence that had a hold over David from leaving his wife. When David decided to
leave his he suffered severe injuries inflicted by her trying to intimidate and
threaten him from leaving. This is what often happens according to the theory. The
abuser in this case David’s wife tries to deter him from leaving her by hurting him
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