Gender-based violence against men, a muted reality that needs legal backing

Despite the fact that violence, whether domestic or gender-based, is more frequent against women, it is of great importance to inquire about violence directed against men, since it is a little researched phenomenon that is not denounced as a result of the macho culture that minimizes those who dare to talk about this type of situation.

Therefore, it is necessary to expose and argue that women’s violence against men is not a myth, it is a reality, a silent reality that affects many men, and isn’t that gender violence, but can’t intra-family violence expressed in physical, psychological, moral, sexual, economic or patrimonial mistreatment suffered by many men also be a determining cause, a limit point for these subjects that leads them to commit violence against women?

It should be understood that both men and women can be victims and aggressors. In this sense, gender violence is expressed in a differentiated manner, because while men tend to use more physical, sexual and economic violence, women use more covert forms such as psychological, verbal and relational violence.

All need equal protection and recognition, no case is absolutely black and no case is absolutely white. This is a problem that requires additional studies on the subject, to evaluate patterns of violence, triggering or risk factors, among others. All this in order to achieve an adequate support approach for all victims of violence, both men and women, which allows a real guarantee to promote the defense of their rights.

Women are not excluded as perpetrators of the most diverse forms of violence and their motivations are often no different from those of men: jealousy, desire for possession and economic interest are some of the most common. However, when a man assaults or assumes a violent behavior towards a woman, it is considered gender-based, aggravating the sanction, and vice versa, it is not usually the case.

If we delve a little into this silent reality of violence against men, we can see that it is an injustice that is suffered in silence and many men can do nothing since the laws are in favor of women, in most cases; sometimes for the children or for personal reasons, they prefer to put up with the violence they suffer.

English translator It is a subject that few men want to talk about; one of the causes of this silence seems to be the same machismo that prevails in society, which eventually ends up being accepted by the man who suffers. And it is undoubtedly a serious social problem, because, although more attention has been paid to violence against women, it is a mistake to think that only women are in a state of vulnerability.

Written by Ana Belkis Hernández Troya/ Chavelys de La Caridad García Collado/ Lianelys Casanova López, 2nd year law students at the University of Matanzas.