The Red Heart Campaign claims it is "a platform for survivors of intimate partner violence, domestic violence and familial child abuse to share their stories of strength, survival, hope and inspiration", yet it fails to address in that statement is that it is purely for FEMALE victims and their children only. You just have to look at the statistics it has interpreted on Domestic Violence. No statistics relating to male victims seem to apply. They report that one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner in Australia, no mention of how many men are killed; 1in 3 women experienced physical violence since the age of 15 - no mention of how many men also have; 1 in 5 women has experienced sexual violence, no mention of how many men have; the list goes on. You have to scroll down quite a bit to a section regarding men, yet there are no statistics listed at all. One can only assume that they couldn't be bothered to give an actual comparison so that people can see the truth for themselves, or that they simply are not interested in violence against men at all. Instead they offer the below description of their view about violence against men.
"All violence is wrong, regardless of the sex of the victim or perpetrator. (Great opening at least) But there are distinct gendered patterns in the perpetration and impact of violence. For example, both women and men are more likely to experience violence at the hands of men, with around 95% of all victims of violence in Australia reporting a male perpetrator. While men are more likely to experience violence by other men in public places, women are more likely to experience violence from men they know, often in the home. The overwhelming majority of acts of domestic violence and sexual assault are perpetrated by men against women, and this violence is likely to have more severe impacts on female than male victims. (So where are the stats? Show the actual comparisons for your sweeping statements!) Recognising the gendered patterns of violence doesn’t negate the experiences of male victims. (thank you) But it does point to the need for an approach that looks honestly at what the research is telling us and addresses the gendered dynamics of violence. (Bullshit!!! show the statistics!!)
If they are serious about domestic violence they would not take such a one-sided approach towards women.
Getting back to Corrine, she has provided 7 truths in her post on Mark Latham's Outsiders Facebook page - see the below.
1) Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist and author of Fragile Nation tells MLO relationship breakdown and custody battles affect men.
"Suicide is multi-factorial. It is ridiculous to think or say that relationship stressors don’t affect men, just as they affect women; relationship breakdown is a key contributor. Often people have their own vulnerabilities so they could be more susceptible to the loss of a relationship, or a job for instance. Men often lose their social networks in their 30s and 40s as they slip into the ‘provider role’. They have a greater emotional dependence upon their spouse and feel the loss more acutely. Women tend to be better at maintaining their social networks. This makes men more susceptible to the effects of relationship loss or custodial battle.
What I see clinically is men often find the Family Court extremely difficult, it is one place where all manner of accusations are accepted until disproven. Their identity as a father in particular often takes a battering. The concept of innocent until proven guilty does not apply here."2) Pete Nichols, CEO, Parents Beyond Breakup says growing evidence shows male suicide is connected to "Situational Distress"
"Sherelle Moody is right to say that statistics are vital tools used by governments and not-for-profits when making decisions about where to direct cash and resources. She is also right to say that the ABS does not currently collect data on the link between family law matters and suicide. She is wrong, however, to suggest that no such evidence exists. There is a common misconception that male suicide is predominantly associated with diagnosed mental health issues, however there is growing evidence that male suicide in particular is often, if not mostly, associated with "situational distress" and examples in Australia would be situations such as separation."
3) Pete Nichols, CEO, Parents Beyond Breakup also says Beyond Blue do have an opinion."According to Dr Stephen Carbone of Beyond Blue, ‘it’s not just those with mental health concerns that can lead to one contemplating taking their life. There are other major risk factors, like a relationship breakup or a financial crisis." To say Beyond Blue has no opinion is simply wrong; it also links to the World Health Organisation document Preventing Suicide A Global Imperative Myth’ which states '"Heightened suicide risk is often short-term and situation-specific.""4) Pete Nichols, CEO, Parents Beyond Breakup says Lifeline also recognise the role relationship breakdown can play.
"This position is supported by Alan Woodward of Lifeline who says: ‘Regardless of what mental health issues surround a suicidal person, it is likely that the crisis state that they are experiencing is fuelled by specific negative life events such as relationship breakdown’."
5) Pete Nichols, CEO, Parents Beyond Breakup further says a quarter of men who suicide have experienced relationship breakdown."In terms of statistics on the correlation between male suicide and relationship separation, the most reliable source of data comes from the Australian Institute of Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP), which is recognized as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Suicide Prevention. Based on AISRAP’s research into the coronial reports collected in the Queensland Suicide Register, is that nearly a quarter of men who die by suicide have experienced relationship separation, making them four times more likely to suicide than separated women."
6) Pete Nichols, CEO, Parents Beyond Breakup adds that we must acknowledge societal causes of male suicide."Suicide kills six men a day in Australia, with men three times more likely to take their own lives than women. If we are serious about tackling this issue, then we need to put more focus into the societal factors that are known to increase men’s risk of suicide. It has long been known that relationship separation is one of the major risk factors for male suicide, which is just one reason there is an urgent need to invest more time, money and resources into making services like the highly successful Dads In Distress programs available to separated men all over Australia."7) Pete Nichols, CEO, Parents Beyond Breakup asks, shouldn't we all work together?
"Not knowing the exact figure is not a reason to avoid addressing the very real and present problem."
Finally, to quote Corrine...
"One thing’s for sure. Anti-men messaging from fierce feminist organisations and anti-male policy is not helping our male suicide crisis. Deny that? You’re denying the truth"
Hats off to Corrine Barraclough for continuing to bring awareness of the anti-feminist message, that we are not trying to dismiss women's issues, we just want similar attention to men's issues that are just as dangerous, if not more so.
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