The Rights Of Man

CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE LAUNCHES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONSULTATION - PREMISE IS BIASED AGAINST MEN

The Crown Prosecution Service have launched a new consultation - Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence (link).

What is disturbing is that the premise for the consultation already shows it only really views women as victims of domestic violence and not men. This false premise has to be challenged. Indeed, if the CPS does not change its guidance and training then it would be liable for challenge under the Human Rights Act and the Gender Equality Duty.

Under the section What is Domestic Violence? it states:- "...the evidence shows that the overwhelming majority of victims are women and abusers men. Taking action against domestic violence is therefore included as part of the CPS Violence against Women Strategy."

The accompanying press release (link) also quotes this Violence Against Women Strategy (link).

Firstly, the CPS, like other Government Agencies, shows its knee-jerk institutionalised sexism against men. The overwhelming majority of victims are not women. That is an untruth. The British Crime Survey figures show that two and five victims are men with nearly as many men are victims of severe force in a domestic relationship as women (See previous post, Dewar Research and The ManKind Initiative). It is ratio of 60 (women):40 (men) and this is not an 'overwhelming majority'.

Secondly, of course, where is the Violence Against Men Strategy?

There is a clear need that for those organisations, such as male domestic abuse charities, who must respond to this, they must challenge the myths that the CPS are basing their consultation on. It goes back to first principles.

VIOLENT WOMEN INCREASE MEANS MALE DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS CAN NO LONGER BE IGNORED

Police announced today that they can no longer cope with the increase in violent women (link) - 240 per day.

After listening to the story of a male domestic abuse victim on Radio 4 (link - click on latest edition and 35 minutes in), the lightbulb went off.

Wth such an increase in violent women in British society nowadays, some of this at least be coming out in domestic situations, whether it is reported or not. 

Therefore the needs of male domestic abuse victims must be made a high priority rather than being ignored by the Governement, police and local authorities. These figures show that male victims must be on the increase, this violence cannot just be confined to after-closing-time incidents.

It also means that those who believe that only violence is carried out  by men are WRONG. They have been proved wrong and must challenged.

Again, no comment from Harman, Baird or Eagle?

WOMEN FOUND GUILTY OF POISONING MAN

Yesterday, the site featured an article about changing the law on murder and how this anti-male Government believes in everything it says and does that only men are perpetrators of domestic abuse.

The case of Linda Lees who put poison in her husband's food, shows why this is wrong (link).

Again, no comment from Harriet Harman, Angela Eagle or Vera Baird? 

WOMEN FIGHT BACK AGAINST HARMAN'S MURDER CHANGES

The Government announced last week (BBC , Ministry of Justice, Telegraph, Times , Guardian, Mail) that it was reviewing the murder laws to clarify the law on provocation where the partial defence of provocation would be scrapped and replaced with two new defences.

These would be if someone killed over fears about serious violence, or if they could show they were "seriously wronged" by the victim's actions. According to the Home Office, they said the existing law "is designed to cater for anger killing, but it is not significantly well tailored for killings that are a response to fear".

Justice Minister Maria Eagle said: "For men and women who kill their partners, these changes will mean that the letter of the law finally catches up with judges and juries, who in recent years have been less prone than people think to let men off lightly and punish women harshly."

The issue raises a number of issues but as ever with this anti-male Government it is the tone and interpretation that is so damaging to men. Harman has abolished fatherhood, wants to allow men to be discriminated in employment law and now wants it easier for women to justify killing a man.

Harriet Harman, Eagle and Vera Baird, all Government Ministers, kept, during their interviews, using the example of women suffering from years of domestic abuse and that their fear should be taken into account if they subsequently murdered their husband. A change based on constant abuse rather than a momentary loss of temper which has led to a tiny minority of men to kill their wife. It means that it will be harder for a man to claim a momentary loss of control but easier for a woman to say it was after years of abuse.

Neither type of murder is right and cases should be based on their individual merits, not used as another tool in the armoury of the gender war. Of course, they purposely overlook the 87,200 woemn arrested last year for violence (link)

A number of issues arise:-

Firstly, because society, the media, the politicians, the police/social services/NHS and the courts believe that only women are victims of domestic abuse and not men, and also if a women claims she is a victim, it is automatically believed to be true, the level of proof a women will need to claim provocation will be lower.

Secondly, because all the examples that were given were against men it means it has set a tone of interpretation which will bear heavily on the minds of the prosecuting authorities.

Lastly, what was gratifying was that the backlash against these proposals were led by women and that this was simply another excuse by Harman, Eagle and Baird to demonise men. They are right of course. Women defending men and castigating these three stooges as being anti-men resonates far more powerfully than if it was made by men. 

Melanie McDonagh in The Times called it "An unjust, feminist view of murder" (link) which was coupled with a long debate.

Erin Pizzey in The Mail said "Harman ...which treats men as either second-class citizens or a menace to society." (link) . Erin also featured heavily on the TV and radio.

Jimmy Young in the Express heaps praise on Erin (link)

SAVE THE MALES - NEW BOOK ON THE PLIGHT OF MEN IN TODAY'S WORLD

American columnist Kathleen Parker's book "Save The Males" has now been published in the UK (link). It was also the subject of a two-page article in the Daily Mail by columnist Amanda Platell (link).

After decades of subjugation, there is an ever increasing library of books on the plight of men. As ever, a well recommended read.

UPDATE 4th AUGUST - Book with debate featured in The Sunday Times (link)

MARK HARRIS ARTICLE

Mark Harris, Harman roof top protestor and author of Family Court Hell, was reviewed in The Mail (link).

Worth reading as is his book.

SUNDERLAND SOLICITOR MAKES PLEA FOR RECOGNITION OF MALE DOMESTIC ABUSE VICTIMS

After Sunderland's  Wearside Women in Need (WWIN) launched a new campaign (link) to promote the needs of female victims with the usual intemperate commentary by the paper about wife-beaters, the Sunderland Echo published then a plea by solicitor Jacqueline Emmerson on why male victims should  not be ignored (link). 

They also covered this in January with an interview with Erin Pizzey (link). 

FAMILY COURTS A SHAM SAYS JUDGE

In the Times (link), Mr Justice Ryder, one of the country's most senior family judges has attacked the family courts run by a "self-selecting great and good and a professional judiciary". He calls for them to be open and to be in touch with the public.

There is a good debate on this at the bottom of the article.

The judiciary are starting to flex their muscles on this issue, about time.

JUDGE BELIEVES IT IS OK FOR A WIFE TO LACE HER HUSBAND'S CAKE WITH RAT POISON

In a startling message, Judge Jamie Tabor QC in the case of Yvonne Godwin, did not send her to prison after she laced her husband's cake with rat poison.

Both characters in the story seem rather unsavoury but the point is that there is now way on earth a man who had done the same to his wife would have escaped prison. If he had, can you imagine the hue and cry from Women's Aid and Refuge and the rest of the anti-male world. But because it is a man, there is nothing. This shows the inherent bias against men in the court system.

This is decision is a sick joke for all those men who suffer domestic abuse.

Coverage is here (link and link and link).

RAVE REVIEWS FOR REVELATION

The play 'Revelation' has received rave reviews in the media and has put on some new dates.

It also produced a rash of new commentary on the plight of male victims.

See coverage etc here (link) - click on 'About Revelation' and then Media.