Men’s views on domestic violence should be heard

Men often feel marginalised in discussions of domestic violence, but given the opportunity, they have a great deal to offer in generating solutions.

This observation was made recently by Luc Patzelt, Programme Manager for Security, Human Rights and Civil Society Cooperation in the Delegation of the European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean States, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM. He was at the time speaking during the opening of an art exhibition at UN House, hosted by the World Bank, UN Women and Interarts with support from the European Union, during the observance of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

“It is important for men to not only stand up to men’s violence against women, but to teach young men a broader definition of masculinity, that includes being empathetic, loving and non-violent,” Patzelt stated.

“With growing unemployment levels among men in the Caribbean and reports on girls surpassing boys in school achievement, men need to feel comfortable in their roles as members of families, husbands, fathers and partners, without resorting to violence to protect roles and we should also think about policies affecting men and programmes to promote their roles on relationships and family,” he continued.

“Research tells us that we need to also consider male victims of domestic violence as there is very little support for them and that we need to help the perpetrators of violence at an earlier stage, before they fact the court. We also need to consider the role of parents in over chastising children since, this is where children have their first experience of violence,” he further commented.

Patzelt meanwhile expressed his hope that such debates will be picked up by civil society organisations and religious leaders, since research findings suggest that these entities could play a major role in preventing violence. (RSM)