Cllr Vernon Pillay of Stanger writes:
In this period of 16 Days of Activism Against Women and Children Abuse we are currently in, the headline above is not a line from a Seinfeld stand-up routine to elicit laughter- it is a reality.
If I could say this with a feminist fervor I would, but I am a man. “Acknowledging male abuse victims doesn’t take away from female abuse victims. We’re all people. Abuse isn’t a gender issue. It’s a people issue. Can we stop with the ‘but what about-ism’ already?”(shrink4men.com).
Using the above information from Dr. Tara J Palmatier, PsyD, then leading to how men can self-evaluate what, if any, abuse they are being subjected to, we then take a cue from the South African man’s situation.
“If you are a man, and your wife frequently hits or slaps you, punches you, throws the car keys or dishes, or any other moveable objects at you, or if she belittles you in public, then you are being abused.
“If she threatens you, withholds your money, is possessive, makes false accusations about you, controls who you see and where you go, or threatens to take your children away if you report the abuse, then you are being abused.” (spice4life.co.za)
This campaign will foster empathy across society to see abuse from the perspective also from the man that is suffering in silence.
The following letter appeared in the North Coast Courier (7 November 2018) in print. The above content was then enhanced for SEO