UN Third Committee Operates in Blissful Denial, As the United Kingdom Observes ‘Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day’

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Rebecca Hain: 513-479-3335

UN Third Committee Operates in Blissful Denial, As the United Kingdom Observes ‘Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day’

WASHINGTON / November 3, 2022 – This week the UN Third Committee is considering a proposal on the “Intensification of Efforts to Prevent and Eliminate All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls.” (1) Inexplicably, the UN document denies the existence of domestic violence against men.

In contrast, yesterday 42 groups in the United Kingdom came together in support of “Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day.” Coordinated by the ManKind Initiative, the event was designed to highlight the fact that male victims make up only one in 25 victims accessing support from their local commissioned domestic service (2), even though domestic abuse against men is widespread in the UK (3).

Numerous domestic violence and social services groups participated in the “Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day:” Survivors Manchester, National Center for Domestic Violence, SAFE in Sussex, Trauma Stop, Survivors of Domestic Abuse, Male Survivors Partnership, Survivors of Domestic Abuse, SafeNet, Midland Living, and many others (4).

The November 2 event also enjoyed the support of law enforcement offices, including the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, Devon and Cornwall Police, and the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.

Two political bodies participated, as well: the Wokingham Borough Council and Maidstone Borough Council.

Domestic violence against men represents a hidden epidemic around the world. A compilation of 343 scholarly investigations conducted in 40 countries concluded that “women are as physically aggressive as men (or more) in their relationships with their spouses or opposite-sex partners.” (5) While the United Nations document repeatedly refers to “domestic violence against women and girls,” it does not mention the global problem of “domestic violence against men and boys.”

Adding a touch of Orwellian irony, the UN proposal rails against all forms of “discrimination on the basis of sex,” citing the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, and other international agreements.

The Domestic Abuse and Violence International Alliance (6) calls on UN member nations to oppose the flawed “Intensification of Efforts to Prevent and Eliminate All Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls” proposal. UN members should assure that future Third Committee documents fully recognize the problem of domestic violence against men.

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