I want to ask you, what happens to abused men when they finally overcome the stigma, and speak out? What happens when a man moves past the shame, and doubt, to pick up the phone, go online, or step outside to seek help and support? What kind of industry, or services, are waiting for him? The answer is, more or less, none. Just more shame, more stigma and more denial. An industry dominated by the idea that men don’t need help, or can’t be abused, or if they are, it’s not that bad, and if it is is bad, it’s a man’s problem to solve. This is why I find the current conversation of mens mental health advocacy to be well intended, but also frustratingly narrow and kind of naive. For there is little utility in an abused man “speaking out”, if there is few people out there that will help them, or listen when they do. So let’s take a look at what happens to these vulnerable men reaching out; how they are let down, and the consequences of this. And so too, let’s look at the few countries (such as Norway) that have started giving refuge to men, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback they received. So have we left our abused men behind? And what are we going to do about it? ~ Sources NISVS 2017  NNEDV 2018  Biennial Report to Congress, 2018 US National Survey (…)  ManKind refuge in England Sleeping in tents and cars Men staying in the Premier Inn No refuge in Canada Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Images by Blake List, Black Kiwi Hug, Michael Fousert, Anandou Vinnod and Gradienta. Illustration by Viktor Ostrovsky #domesticviolence #domesticabuse #mentoo #mencanbevictimstoo #abusedmen #domesticviolenceawareness #mensmentalhealth #mensmentalhealthawareness

2023-03-12