Some people believe that research into the abuse of male partners by women is in its infancy, and that too many groups of men’s organizations are very hesitant to accept or speak out publicly about the long hidden abuse of males by their female spouses, or partners . . . Others who are aware of the increasing violence against men all around the globe cannot help wondering, are advocates seeking justification for female violence? (Very few advocates and feminist-inclined-experts have grudgingly admitted that abusive women exist.)

Have battered men become society’s invisible victims? Is this reversed abuse? Is society in denial? Do the people in our communities feel uncomfortable or are they embarrassed to admit that females may be as guilty as males of domestic violence? Could the reason for the increase of male victims that goes unnoticed be due to our communities and media having become accustomed to giving men the right to violence, while portraying females as enduring victims, peaceful and passive?

Once upon a time, a segment on Maury Povich showed a wife who’d thrown a coffee table at her husband. At the time, the police suggested he go outside while they walked to his wife. Hence, the police did not arrest her, not only because she’s female, but because she alleged that he hit her first. The police officers believed her. After the police left, she got three guys to beat him up, in retaliation for his reporting her to the police.

A far more dangerous situation occurred when a female shot her husband. In this case the court system indicted her for attempted murder. During the trial, it was discovered that she was abusive from the beginning of their relationship. And although she pushed and hit him constantly, he stayed in the unhealthy relationship. If there’s violence in the home, it's because she initiated it, and the abused mate refused to strike back. Her abusive behavior escalated, but he never thought that she would shoot him.

The same behavior patterns and justifications battering males have used for decades to justify abuse against their partner, are now being echoed by some females when they say: "He just pushes my buttons. He aggravates me."

If poor, minority men are violated, their only option is to seek treatment at a public hospital where doctors must report suspected domestic violence to the police. However, because of the lack of support they receive from the police and the Courts of Law, legal action against the abusive female is rarely taken. The problem of violence against men is dispassionately and purposefully swept under the rug. Our communities, Courts of Law and police departments need to come to terms with the reality of battered men and take a serious look at females' potential to be dangerous.

In years past it was common for females to turn their anger on themselves, and males to turn their anger on others. Now the tables are turning and the females are turning their anger against their male mates. Yet society seldom discusses the issue of violent females, because people really want to believe that all women are gentle and law-and-order conscious to be qualified as abusive, despite the scientific surveys that have statistically shown that females assault their partners as often as males assault their partners. Furthermore, females are not only capable of violence, but are as actively and physically aggressive as men are. (There are approximately 250,000 battered men in this country, and this is interpreted by society and the media as if abusive females are driven to violence by men and by bad lifestyle choices, whereas men are simply naturally violent.)

There is a lack of equality in the justice system. Female abusers serve half the prison time a man does for the same crime, assuming she serves time in jail at all. And if men flee from the abusive relationship with their child, he’s charged with kidnaping. There are no safe havens for men who run away from abuse with their children, because the playing field is stacked against males. The justice system really needs to change the practices and customs of the courts, keep their minds and doors open to equal legal treatment of battered men. In other words, this whole phenomenon must be re-evaluated top to bottom.

Men are also Human. No one should live life in fear of another person, for any reason. Domestic violence is a two-way street; both genders are equally responsible for domestic violence, and this poor behavior should never be tolerated whichever way it goes. But if men are soon to become the next government-protected group of victims, then victim-ology as a growth industry for lawyers, social workers, experts and bureaucrats will flourish. Will battered men become the next oppressed group?

Violence Against Women Act Ignores Epidemic of Violent Women (Trudy W. Schuett, Publisher, Desert Light Journal/Men’s News Daily