Husbands alleged perpetrators in 80% of spousal violence cases
It was revealed at the National Family Violence Networking System Symposium, organized by the Community Development, Youth and Sports Ministry (MCYS) and the Singapore Police Force, on Thursday that spousal violence made up more than three-quarters of all Personal Protection Order (PPO) applications and that over 80 per cent of the alleged perpetrators are husbands.
As a result, the focus of the symposium was on "Men and Family Violence". Dr Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary, MCYS said: "It's not just about women being victims. You can help the victims but in domestic violence, we know there's this cycle of violence. And violence will continue unless it's stopped…and I think [the one to] stop the violence is really the men. "So this symposium is very timely for us to understand that. Men play a very important role in trying to say that violence can be stopped and should be stopped. "I think the second part of it is not about men being abusive, but also men in general. When men in general tell other men that it's not right to be violent then the message comes across a lot more palatable to the men because they understand each other better, and our experience is that when men hear other men say it, they're more willing to accept those messages."
I completely disagree with this assessment. From my observations and experience, women seem to be more inclined towards violence (how many of you guys have experiences where the minute your girlfriend/wife doesn’t get her way, she resorts to hitting you? I mean think about it, even when they get teased they hit!) in part, I think, because they know they can get away with it! After all, would you hit back? What would people think if you did?!
Ok. I’m not able to get into this fully now (as I have to get up tomorrow morning) but I just want to relate something that this article brought to my memory.
I remember that one the issues that we covered in law school under criminology (a sort of sociology of law type subject) was the topic of “battered husband syndrome”. Of course the main topic of discussion was the more commonly known criminal law equivalent of “battered wife syndrome” where a woman may kill her husband in a fit of rage because of years of abuse etc.
Why it was brought up was that there was at least the realisation and acknowledgement by the course convener that if there is violence in the home perpetrated by men, there was also inevitably be cases of the reverse happening. The surprising thing is that it doesn’t seem to occur, at least in the police reports etc. This led us to question why is this the case. Could it really be that women don’t ever beat up their husband’s?
After doing some rather intensive research (partly because it must have been difficult to find) we came to the conclusion that they do occur. The only problem is that they do not get reported nearly as much as the reverse. Men are simply not as likely to report a situation where they are beaten up by their wives! After all, can you imagine that?!
Not only do you run the risk of the police not believing you, but you would probably get ridiculed by those very police officers and anyone who gets wind of the story! Unfortunately, as in all such issues, traditional conceptions of male-hood disadvantage us guys. I further doubt that it has been, or can be, or will be believed if, used as a defence to a murder charge anywhere in the world (just like the “battered wife syndrome” has as a “proof” of provocation reducing a murder charge to manslaughter).
So does “battered husband syndrome” occur? Definitely!
Does it only happen in 24% of all spousal violence as the report claims? I have my doubts!
Do statements like those uttered by the Minister help? Not one bit!
It was revealed at the National Family Violence Networking System Symposium, organized by the Community Development, Youth and Sports Ministry (MCYS) and the Singapore Police Force, on Thursday that spousal violence made up more than three-quarters of all Personal Protection Order (PPO) applications and that over 80 per cent of the alleged perpetrators are husbands.
As a result, the focus of the symposium was on "Men and Family Violence". Dr Maliki Osman, Parliamentary Secretary, MCYS said: "It's not just about women being victims. You can help the victims but in domestic violence, we know there's this cycle of violence. And violence will continue unless it's stopped…and I think [the one to] stop the violence is really the men. "So this symposium is very timely for us to understand that. Men play a very important role in trying to say that violence can be stopped and should be stopped. "I think the second part of it is not about men being abusive, but also men in general. When men in general tell other men that it's not right to be violent then the message comes across a lot more palatable to the men because they understand each other better, and our experience is that when men hear other men say it, they're more willing to accept those messages."
I completely disagree with this assessment. From my observations and experience, women seem to be more inclined towards violence (how many of you guys have experiences where the minute your girlfriend/wife doesn’t get her way, she resorts to hitting you? I mean think about it, even when they get teased they hit!) in part, I think, because they know they can get away with it! After all, would you hit back? What would people think if you did?!
Ok. I’m not able to get into this fully now (as I have to get up tomorrow morning) but I just want to relate something that this article brought to my memory.
I remember that one the issues that we covered in law school under criminology (a sort of sociology of law type subject) was the topic of “battered husband syndrome”. Of course the main topic of discussion was the more commonly known criminal law equivalent of “battered wife syndrome” where a woman may kill her husband in a fit of rage because of years of abuse etc.
Why it was brought up was that there was at least the realisation and acknowledgement by the course convener that if there is violence in the home perpetrated by men, there was also inevitably be cases of the reverse happening. The surprising thing is that it doesn’t seem to occur, at least in the police reports etc. This led us to question why is this the case. Could it really be that women don’t ever beat up their husband’s?
After doing some rather intensive research (partly because it must have been difficult to find) we came to the conclusion that they do occur. The only problem is that they do not get reported nearly as much as the reverse. Men are simply not as likely to report a situation where they are beaten up by their wives! After all, can you imagine that?!
Not only do you run the risk of the police not believing you, but you would probably get ridiculed by those very police officers and anyone who gets wind of the story! Unfortunately, as in all such issues, traditional conceptions of male-hood disadvantage us guys. I further doubt that it has been, or can be, or will be believed if, used as a defence to a murder charge anywhere in the world (just like the “battered wife syndrome” has as a “proof” of provocation reducing a murder charge to manslaughter).
So does “battered husband syndrome” occur? Definitely!
Does it only happen in 24% of all spousal violence as the report claims? I have my doubts!
Do statements like those uttered by the Minister help? Not one bit!
posted by Clem | 1:14 AM
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