If you head “Down Under”, you’ll hear the Australian media ring with talk of an “epidemic of violence against women”. “One in four men admit to perpetrating sexual violence”, you will hear. “One in three women experienced intimate partner violence”, says another. And it’s true. The numbers are shocking, and when viewed at a national scale, I agree, such an issue is indeed, an epidemic. But one voice, as it always seems to be, is missing from the conversation. A voice that is consistently ignored, derided, and left behind; an ugly blemish, and unwelcome victim; extinguished by the mainstream media, and spoken over at every turn. And that is, abused men and boys. We don’t hear about them, we don’t see them, we don’t share their stories, nor do we demand they be kept safe. We don’t fund their shelters, we don’t answer their calls, we don’t platform their voices. You’d be forgiven for thinking these men and boys don’t exist; but they do, and in extraordinarily high numbers, not far below those of women and girls. Yes, one in three women, and one of four men will experience intimate partner violence in Australia. And whilst 26.4% of Aussie men admit to perpetrating sexual violence, 17.7% of Aussie women said they had too. These are the men and boys nobody helps, for whom you are shouted down and spat upon, if you try to advocate. Such a thing is nothing short of a betrayal of society’s moral obligation to help one another, and a dereliction of basic human rights. So when will our so-called guardians of equality, sat upon their high horse, or up within ivory towers, preaching upon the pulpit of their own ego, do something to help such men and boys? When will we treat the issue, not the gender? What do you think? ~ Perpetration of sexual violence in a community sample of adult Australians https://tinyurl.com/3nch253c The prevalence of intimate partner violence in Australia: a national survey https://tinyurl.com/2r43sj8j VAWG Funding https://tinyurl.com/35z882ev

2025-12-12