Men Abused By Women: It Does Happen

January 10, 2011
WBEN 930

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As Muzzammil Hassan pursues a battered spouse defense in his trial, some wonder how often men are abused by their wife or girlfriend. The Family Justice Center says it does happen.

"A man claiming it is rare," says Julie Doerr of the Family Justice Center. She says some men don't report being abused because "they feel there's a stigma they'd be less of a man because they're being battered by a woman." She says for every 18 women who come to the center for help, one man steps forward and says he's been abused. Erie County statistics say one in nine men are victims of domestic violence compared to one in four.

Doerr says seeing abuse on men is more difficult than in women. "Men tend to be stronger and bigger than women, so the physical degree of injury to men is a bit less," notes Doerr.

Doerr says the battered spouse defense was created for women who couldn't take the physical abuse from the men who claimed they loved them. "The defense is rarely used with women, and has been exclusively used by women. For a man to use this defense, it's quite unusual." Doerr says when battered women kill, they're worn down, isolated by their abuser and also have post traumatic stress syndrome, and "feel they have no other choice but to go lethal."