Women Abusers on the Rise in Australia

A reader a href=”http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/22/2604559.htm?section=justin”emails an article/a from Australia about the rise of female domestic violence there: br /br /blockquoteNew South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics figures show that over the past eight years, the number of women charged with domestic abuse has rocketed by 159 per cent.br /br /In 2007, 2,336 women fronted court on domestic violence charges, compared to around 800 in 1999.br /br /Preconceived ideas of gender roles have led a lot of people to believe it would be virtually impossible for a women to physically abuse a man.br /br /But co-director of Men’s Rights Agency Sue Price says it is exactly this stereotype that leads to battered men hiding in shame, fearful of being ridiculed, or even prosecuted.br /br /”I’ve had SAS soldiers in tears because the wife is a black belt karate expert and yet they know that if they even try to restrain her he might be charged with assault and domestic violence,” she said…..br /br /”We have so many reports of people having hot liquids poured over them in bed, glasses broken, men hit over the head from the back, attacked while they’re asleep, cut, burnt,” she said.br //blockquotebr /Ms. Price, in the article, also points out that more and more women are engaging in violence–even murder– because they can get away with it without consequences. This is an important point. The more we overlook female on male domestic violence, the more prevalent it becomes. The trouble is, no one cares and those of us who do are treated like pariahs or ignored. This must change–we must fight back against the stereotype of man perpetrator, woman victim–it is a matter of persistence and education. br /br /Recently, a reader emailed to tell me he was upset that doctors and staff were asking his pregnant wife in front of him if she was “in a safe relationship.” He asked me for help in finding research to give to these “do-gooders” to educate them about violence against men and children committed by women. If someone asked me at a doc’s office if I was in a “safe relationship,” I would have a few choice words for them. Or perhaps I would a href=”http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/42/15/31-a”just hand them this article /a or a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143038680?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0143038680″this book/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0143038680″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / and save myself the aggravation.