For most of these men, some significant form of punishment has been imposed on them by the state. At a minimum, most of them have been locked up in jail for anywhere from one to three days. Others, for a number of years. As in all of the cases I have reported on, there has been little or no evidence. The only thing to go on is the word of the two participants.
With all of the media attention gave to the O.J. Simpson story, pop feminists are still having a field day with it. Hardly a day can go by without more calls for tougher laws and stricter enforcement. As usual there are all sorts of biased statistics showing nothing but female victims. As usual there are virtually no examples of any men being abused. Of course there is virtually no discussion of how the present system can be abused by women as a weapon against men. And finally, as has been the case for twenty-five years, there is virtually no attention given to the input about domestic violence from any men's organization.
So, to help balance out the discussion, lets look at what the present system already does. Lets also take a look at the legitimate rights of men and how the system is presently abusing these rights. The most obvious area of concern for men is, what if any evidence is required to sustain a charge of domestic violence.
The system in the state of Washington works as follows: If a woman calls the police and makes a claim of domestic violence, the police department is required to send an officer out to investigate. When the police show up, it does not matter if the investigation finds no evidence of domestic violence. All that is important is that some woman claims she feels threatened. The police are required to take one of the two participants to jail, and in the overwhelming number of cases, they haul in the man.
This is a problem. Because it requires no legitimate proof, the procedure allows a woman to literally use the police as a weapon against her domestic partner. Arresting the man, even when there is no evidence, is not acceptable. It literally puts all men in the position of being second class citizens. (If this was reversed and men could do the same to women, would women be willing to accept it?)
The ability to call the police and have a man unjustly thrown into jail is the issue here. Women's groups deny it happens, domestic violence advocates say a woman would never do it. I have even heard men say that the laws need to be that way to protect women. But the simple fact remains, some women are using domestic violence laws as a club against men.
What are the consequences for unjustly accused men? If they are lucky they will see a jail cell for a day or so. But many face a life altering experience. Imagine the following: You and your wife are not getting along. You are heading for a divorce. You have one child and a home.
You get into an argument, your wife calls the police and claims domestic violence. Presto, you go to jail. With you "in jail and out of the way," she can hit you with a "no contact" order. Your fate is sealed. You will be forced out of your home and not allowed to return. More than likely you won't be able to see your child. You will have close to zero chance to get your child in a custody battle. She will probably garnishee your wages. And finally the legal system and its ramifications will keep you broke and overloaded for possibly years. (And of course, there are no programs to help a man in this situation.)
What are the risks to a woman for making a false charge of domestic violence? I know of no case where a woman has been held responsible for her actions in this type of situation. How can a woman benefit? The reward to risk ratio is so favorable, it's surprising more women don't use it.
The ability of any woman to have any man thrown in jail at will must be changed. If it is not, more innocent men will be sacrificed and more men's groups will withdraw their support of women's groups.
During this period, virtually all funding for anything to do with domestic violence has gone to support a feminist domestic violence industry. (Seattle's Domestic Violence Project has 17 female and no male employees.) Women's organizations have shelters, crisis lines, counselors, referral agencies, clinics and other agencies. All are funded with male as well as female tax dollars. With no funding targeted toward any male issues, is there any wonder why things don't seem to get better?
If feminists really want a solution to domestic violence, a new approach is needed. This must treat men as equal citizens with equal voice. All funding for female programs needs to be duplicated to take care of equivalent male needs. (Why is a man's lack of a home less significant than a woman's?) Any solutions that use the police need to include safeguards that preclude one party abusing the police.
It is time to get this new approach started.
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