Murkowski-Cortez Masto Incident Exposes Troubling Pattern of Apathy and Neglect Towards Male Victims

PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rebecca Stewart

Telephone: 513-479-3335

Murkowski-Cortez Masto Incident Exposes Troubling Pattern of Apathy and Neglect Towards Male Victims

WASHINGTON / July 8, 2021 – A recent editorial by Senators Lisa Murkowski and Catherine Cortez Masto on violence among Native Americans focused solely on Indian women, glossing over the far greater problem of violence directed towards Indian men (1). In response, the Coalition to End Domestic Violence called on the senators to revise the misleading commentary (2). The failure of the senators to apologize or correct the factual omission reveals a troubling pattern of bias and neglect towards male victims.

Each year there are 4.2 million male victims of domestic violence, compared to 3.5 million female victims, according to the CDC (3). Regarding sexual assault, the CDC has documented nearly identical levels of sexual victimization by sex: 1.270 million women and 1.267 million men were victims of a nonconsensual sexual encounter in the previous 12 months (4). Most male victims had been forced to sexually penetrate by their female partner.

Despite the large number of male victims, the most recent Biennial Report to Congress documents large disparities in the provision of victim services (5):

Legal Assistance: 6% male, 94% female (Page 162)
Rural Assistance: 10% male, 90% female (Page 174)
Sexual Assault Services: 4% male, 96% female (Page 184)
Transitional Housing: 1% male, 99% female (Page 204)
Indian Tribal Governments: 5% male, 95% female (Page 222)
Tribal Sexual Assault: 14% male, 86% female (Page 237)
Services to Underserved Populations: 14% male, 86% female (Page 248)

Dr. Liz Bates recently published an article on male victims of domestic violence homicides. Her research analyzed 22 Domestic Homicide Reviews, and found that opportunities to help male victims often were missed due to outdated stereotypes. The bias inhibited male victims from reporting their abuse, as well as police and health care workers from recognizing them as victims. Bates revealed, “I was astonished at the level of bias and how little support some men had. The attitudes of some individuals who encountered the victims was very surprising. It was shocking and incredibly sad to read.” (6)

The Violence Against Women Act is rooted in a gender ideology that attributes domestic violence to men’s drive for patriarchal power (7). This view lacks scientific support, and eliminates the possibility that women also can engage in violence.

Commentator Wendy McElroy notes that VAWA’s exclusionary focus on females represents a “parody of human rights in which only approved groups are recognized as victims….Only those who share the secondary characteristic of approved genitalia receive compassion.” (8)

The Independent Women’s Forum has urged that VAWA be refocused to “Include all victims rather than singling out specific groups for special protection based on gender, sexual orientation, or other group status.” (9).

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