Equal Victims or the Usual Suspects?: Making Sense of Domestic Abuse Against Men

• NCJ Number: 205045
• Journal: International Review of Victimology Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: 2003 Pages: 95-116
• Author(s): David Gadd; Stephen Farrall; Damian Dallimore; Nancy Lombard
• Editor(s): David Miers, Leslie Sebba
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

Responding to arguments that there is either a lack of sympathy and service provision for male victims or that the problem of violence against women is overstated, which resulted from findings from the Scottish Crime Survey of 2000, the Scottish Executive commissioned this research study to address the issue of domestic abuse against men in Scotland.

Abstract

Analysts from the Scottish Crime Survey (SCS) 2000 reported that 19 percent of women and 8 percent of men had experienced either threats or force from a partner or ex-partner at some point during their lifetime and 6 percent of women and 3 percent of men had experienced either threats or force from a partner or ex-partner within the 12 months previous to the 2000 survey. As a result of these findings, the United Kingdom Men’s Movement urged the Scottish Executive to commission a study to address the issue of domestic violence against men. Specifically, the Scottish Executive was asked to consider the way in which the different data-gathering strategies deployed had been used to emphasize similar conclusions about the nature of domestic abuse. The question was whether those men counted as “victims of domestic violence” in the SCS 2000 were the “usual suspects” (perpetrators disclosing incidents of retaliation) or “equal victims.” The study drew upon in-depth interview material obtained from a sample of men originally counted as “male victims” in the SCS. Results indicated that the statistics considerably overstated men’s victim status with regards to domestic abuse. Conclusions drawn from the findings include: (1) social research should ensure that the presentation of statistical data presented about violent victimization adequately addresses the question of its relevance to the populations routinely encountered by practitioners; (2) measures need to be undertaken to ensure the integrity of the statistical assertions made about the prevalence of domestic abuse; and (3) consideration should be given on how to respond to men who claim they are victims of domestic abuse. References