Rise of Domestic Violence, This Time Against German Men

Violence within the confines of a home is a major problem whose victims are typically women. However, we should not assume that men are safe from this violence. In Germany, some men are victims of violence by their spouses. A report from the magazine Der Spiegel addresses this issue.

In a recent report by Der Spiegel, the fate of several men is depicted, who have recounted their stories and how they became victims of their spouses’ violence. One of them, named Mike, said that his wife had physically and mentally destroyed him over 7 years of living together to the point where this man lost his job.

Statistics from Germany’s Criminal Investigation Bureau show that 81.8 percent of those who experience domestic violence or assault are women. However, in the same report, there are dark corners that are less frequently addressed in the issue of domestic violence, and that is the fact that a trend has begun in Germany years ago in which men are placed under pressure and harassment by their life partners.

In the state of Saxony in eastern Germany, the number of men seeking counseling on this issue has doubled over the past 8 years. In the city of Gera in the state of Thuringia, a shelter has been established to care for and support these men. Currently, three men live in this shelter and ten people are on the waiting list.

In other states such as Schleswig-Holstein, a project has been launched to help men who are victims of their spouses’ anger and violence. Counseling centers for these men have also been established in other locations, including Kiel, Flensburg, and Neumünster.

An Old Taboo: Violence Against Men

Ante Langner, an official at the Ministry of Social Affairs in Kiel, says the big problem is that talking about domestic violence against men is still a taboo in society and the problem is not taken seriously enough.

The Criminal Investigation Bureau of Saxony has presented a picture of domestic violence that includes 4,000 women and 1,700 men. 35 of these men had their cases taken to the hospital. Two have suffered permanent physical injury and three have died from their injuries.

Der Spiegel quoted Mike as saying: “Money had become one of the determining factors in our relationship. My wife wanted to renovate our house with considerable expenses and buy expensive furniture. I opposed this. She didn’t accept my opposition at all.” This man describes how his wife would scream and shout and curse, beating him with whatever was at hand—a phone, a vase, or a frying pan.

Mike initially occasionally responded to his wife’s outbursts, but gradually became a silent person. At work, no one knew where the bruises on his body came from. He was always afraid of being ridiculed. Once he decided to escape the house by car. But his wife blocked his way and struck his car with a large stone.

His and his wife’s combined monthly income was around 11,000 euros, but this was not enough to meet his wife’s expectations. He considered suicide several times. Mike didn’t know that many other men empathized with him. Germany’s Criminal Investigation Bureau points out that for years no research or investigation has been conducted on domestic violence against men.

Hans Joachim Lenz, a social scientist, writes in his book about men who “suffer in silence”: “In traditional thinking, a man is expected to have a superior role. To deal with problems alone and naturally to defend himself without seeking help from others. Men are expected not to be upset or to show their distress.”

Der Spiegel reported that surveys have shown that it is likely that men are almost as likely as women to be involved in this problem and to be targets of attacks by their spouse or life partner at least once.

The results of an international health survey conducted in 6 European countries in 2014 showed that 3.5 percent of women said they were victims of violence in the previous year. This figure for men was 4.1 percent. However, police do not intend to act on this data. Because around the world, women are still the primary victims of violence. Violence that is far more severe and sometimes even fatal.

Source: DW