PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Email: info@EndToDV.org

Female Abusers and Male Victims: International Coalition Launches Campaign to End Domestic Violence Falsehoods

WASHINGTON / October 4, 2021 – A new Coalition consisting of 19 organizations from eight countries has been formed to address the widespread domestic violence myths that ignore the existence of female abusers and their male victims. The participating organizations of the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance — DAVIA — are based in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and India.

Over 200 studies conducted in 49 countries show that overall, women engage in domestic violence and use coercive control tactics at levels similar to or greater than men. Researchers have found higher levels of female perpetration/male victimization in 23 countries, greater levels of female victimization/ male perpetration in 18 countries, and an equal number in 8 countries.” (1)

In the United States, for example, the Centers for Disease Control reports these annual domestic violence numbers (2):

o          Males: 4.2 million victims

o          Females: 3.5 million victims

But in Orwellian fashion, some international organizations flatly ignore the existence of male victims:

  1. UN Women, which claims to be dedicated to the cause of “gender equality,” (3) omits mention of domestic violence against men on its web page (4).
  2. The World Bank hosts a web page on “Ending Violence Against Women and Girls,” but no web page on domestic violence against men and boys. (5)
  3. The Council of Europe promotes the Istanbul Convention, which is one-sidedly described as a treaty “to prevent, prosecute and eliminate violence against women and domestic violence.” (6)

A recent CEDV report, “Thirty Years of Domestic Violence Half-Truths, Falsehoods, and Lies,” documents numerous examples of erroneous claims by domestic violence activists (7).  Last year, for example, abuse activists predicted an ominous “spike” in the number of domestic violence incidents as a result of COVID stay-at-home policies. But independent analyses found no increase in the number of domestic violence or sexual assault cases (8).

Another myth promoted by domestic violence groups includes the claim that parental alienation is actually an indication of paternal child abuse (9).

Domestic violence activists also insist that false allegations of abuse are rare. In fact, unfounded allegations of child abuse are widespread. The Administration for Children and Families reports, “For FY 2017, the data show approximately 3.5 million children are the subjects of at least one report. A total of 17.0 percent of children are classified as victims with dispositions of substantiated (16.3%) and indicated (0.7%). The remaining children (83.0%) are not determined to be victims of maltreatment or received an alternative response.” “The Adoption and Safe Family Act of 1997 created numerous perverse incentives to remove children and not reunify families,” according to Kimberly Lowe, Virginia candidate for Congress.

The following groups are participating in the Coalition:

  • United States: Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Victim to Hero, Men’s Equality, Domestic Violence Wears Many Tags, Equality for Boys and Men, Dads and Moms PAC, and the Domestic Violence Counseling Center (Charleston, WV)
  • Canada: Canadian Equal Parenting Council
  • England: Parental Alienation UK
  • Ireland: Mens Voices Ireland
  • Portugal: Igualdade Parental
  • Australia: Mothers of Sons, One in Three, and Fairness in Child Support
  • New Zealand: MENZ Issues
  • India: Men HelpLine

Three other participating groups have an international focus: International Council on Shared Parenting, PAS International, and Victims of Immigration Fraud.

Members of the Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance urge domestic violence programs around the world to report truthful information about the extent, nature, and causes of domestic violence.

Links:

  1. https://domesticviolenceresearch.org/partner-abuse-worldwide/
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2015 Data Brief – Updated Release, Atlanta, Georgia. 2018. Tables 9 and 11. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/2015data-brief508.pdf
  3. https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/about-un-women
  4. https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
  5. https://www.worldbank.org/en/research/publication/ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-global-and-regional-trends-in-womens-legal-protection-against-domestic-violence-and-sexual-harassment
  6. https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/210?module=treaty-detail&treatynum=210
  7. https://endtodv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Thirty-Years-of-DV-Half-Truths-Falsehoods-and-Lies.pdf
  8. https://endtodv.org/coronavirus-abuse-hoax/
  9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340971828_Parental_Alienation_and_Misinformation_Proliferation
  10. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cb/cm2017.pdf

NOTE: This press release was updated on October 25, 2021 to reflect the new name of the coalition.