Why Does the National Center for Victims of Crime Ignore Our Sons?
October 5, 2005
Since when do you have to agree with people to defend them from injustice? - Lillian Hellman
The National Center for Victims of Crime claims that information on its website is intended to improve our nation’s response to dating violence. The natural assumption by all parents is that the National Center for Victims of Crime will include all victims of dating violence, regardless of gender. Well, at least once upon a time they did.
Now, the information on their website minimizes, marginalizes and ignores our sons. At one time, not long ago, the National Center for Victims of Crime dating violence section presented a fair and balanced approach.
The National Center for Victims of Crime dating violence section once noted that 45% of females and 43% of males reported being the victim of violence from a dating partner at least once. Why did they remove that information from the website?
Now, more often than not, the National Center for Victims of Crime simply ignores information or resources for our sons. One example: Twenty percent of teenage girls and young women have experienced some form of dating violence – controlling, abusive, and aggressive behavior in a romantic relationship.
Another is: Approximately 1 in 5 high school girls report being abused by a boyfriend. Throughout most of this dating violence section it is implied and inferred that girls are the victims and by implication boys the perpetrators.
I have, on a number of occasions wondered why the information that was once helpful for both our sons and daughters has been removed and have been further perplexed as to why the National Center for Victims of Crime now focuses primarily or exclusively on girls and minimize, marginalizes and ignores boys.
Just recently I noted on the bottom of the Dating Violence Resource Center website page that the current information about dating violence was developed through a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women. Bingo! It is after all, the Office on Violence Against Women and girls not men and boys.
Most people, including our public policy makers continue to believe that Violence Against Women Act and Office of Violence Against Women of the U.S. Department of Justice attempt to be helpful for everyone one and not harmful for others. This is yet another example of how mistaken they are.
There is an expectation that a dating violence resource section, on a federal website would provide information and assistance for all victims of crime. However, this section documents quite clearly that, at least some advocates, conduct and sponsors research that minimizes, marginalize and ignores our sons.
Here is just some information that the National Center for Victims of Crime has chosen to ignore about dating violence:
The report, Gender and Contextual Factors in Adolescent Dating Violence, notes that many recent high school dating violence studies document that between 14.5% and 24.4% of female adolescents and 3.3 to 9.9% of male adolescents report they experienced some physical and/or sexual violence in their dating relationship. Both adolescent and adult females suffer more serious injuries than males.
The same report documents approximately 38% of boys and 34.9% of girls reported overall violence. About 13% of boys and 22% of girls report they were the victims of severe physical violence. Between 1/4 and 1/3 of these violent incidents were initiated by the adolescent girls. The differential is even less when forced sexual activity is excluded.
Jane Doe is the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. Jane Doe documents that 1 in 5 female high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. Jane Doe, similar to the majority of domestic violence organizations, ignore the reported physical and/or sexual abuse of male high school students?
This “1 in 5” example is based on the1999 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The survey documents that 18 percent of females and 7 percent of males report they were hurt physically or sexually by a date or someone they were going out with. Also 16 percent of females and 6 percent of males report that someone had sexual contact with them against their will. Jane Doe ignores the male victimization.
The YRBSS on pages 39-40, that documents 8.8% of girls and 8.9% of boys report that they were hit, slapped or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend. The same page of the YRBSS also documents that 11.9% of girls and 6.1% of boys were physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
Another report presented to the American Psychological Association documents that nearly 9 percent of girls and 6 percent of boys report some type of abusive date-related experience.
I have sent an email to the National Center for Victims of Crime and asked why their dating violence resource center has chosen to ignore our sons. I will publish their response. In the meantime perhaps you might also inquire about their biased presentation of the issue. Click here to contact them.
