BY EMMA FRANZ
In today’s world, so much credit has been awarded to strong women who have chosen to speak out as victims of heinous crimes. Unfortunately, the same hasn’t been done for men who have suffered from similar traumatic experiences.
Due to the unfortunate male standards society has painted, it is often challenging for men to admit when they are the victim of sexual assault or dating violence. The mindless concept that men always have to be tough to appear as masculine steers them away from admitting to the mistreatment that they have faced.
Men are often told that there is no way a woman could mistreat them or that they are being too fragile. However, admitting to being a victim of such cruelty, in reality, is one of the most fearless and strong actions that any man could acknowledge, despite societal standards.
“I feel like male victims aren’t really taken seriously, whether it be from their own male peers or the females around them,” senior Samuel Testa said. “Men often times get mocked if they come out saying they’ve been sexually assaulted or the victim of domestic violence.”
However, admitting to being a victim of such cruelty, in reality, is one of the most fearless and strong actions that any man could acknowledge, despite societal standards.
Although statistics appear to highlight women more often, the fact that less men speak out about their personal experiences as victims could be a leading reason as to why statistics sometimes appear skewed. One in seven men have been a victim of extreme physical violence by an intimate partner, compared to the one in three women that have been a victim of extreme violence.
However, with the increase of domestic and sexual abuse accusations made by women, more men have taken it upon themselves to finally speak out about what seemed like unspeakable.
Recently, “Pirates of Caribbean” star Johnny Depp leaked audiotapes from 2015 proving that his ex-wife, Amber Heard, had subjected him to domestic violence. Heard even selfishly used the idea that women are typically victimized to her advantage by stating that no one would believe Depp if he confessed to being a victim of domestic abuse.
“You can please tell people that it was a fair fight, and see what the jury and judge thinks,” Heard said. “Tell the world Johnny, tell them Johnny Depp, I, Johnny Depp, a man, I’m a victim too of domestic violence. And I, you know, it’s a fair fight. And see how many people believe or side with you.”
After all of the positive and deserving attention that women have received for such a powerful movement when it comes to speaking out about violence and abuse, male victims deserve to receive the same opportunity to speak out without feeling ashamed.
Not many individuals would believe that a woman could verbally or physically abuse a man, which proves the imbalance that society holds when it comes to deciding what qualifies for abuse.
While there tend to be significant constraints placed on men and sharing their stories as victims, there are organizations such as Survivors Manchester and ManKind Initiative that help male victims pick up where they left off and move on with their lives after abuse.
This is not just a female problem, but an entire societal issue. The goal should be to eliminate all sources of abuse. The challenges that someone has encountered shouldn’t be determined by their gender. After all of the positive and deserving attention that women have received for such a powerful movement when it comes to speaking out about violence and abuse, male victims deserve to receive the same opportunity to speak out without feeling ashamed.
Photo courtesy of BBC
