Thursday, June 20, 2013
WHO gets it wrong on domestic violence
Contrary to the claims by the World Health Organisation (and the basis of the biased coverage of the Lawson-Saatchi neck-holding incident), it is not women but men who are predominantly the victims not only of within-sex (obviously) but also of between-sex violence.*
Peer-reviewed major research shows that women perpetrate 70% of unilateral (non-reciprocal) intimate-partner (domestic) violence [IPV(DV)], twice the frequency of assaults in mutual (reciprocal) IPV (DV), and between three and six times as much IPV(DV) when it is at serious levels. Furthermore, peer-reviewed research also shows that women choose physical violence as the preferred form of aggression in intimate partnerships, whereas men avoid choosing physical violence in any scenario where a female would be the target.
That women (and girls) perpetrate at least as much IPV (DV), and likely more or much more than do men, is revealed by Prof Fiebert's annotated bibliography of ALL studies and reviews of IPV(DV) where perpetration and victimisation are examined re both sexes; and this is the prevailing view within the academic research community (as opposed to mere advocacy research).
Despite the disparities between men and women in both upper-body strength and body-frame weakness meaning that there should be a 20:1 sex-differential in injury rates through IPV(DV) if violence was symmetrical (of comparable levels) -- research by Linda Dixon of the University of Birmingham -- then given that the sex-differential is either non-existent or barely significant (not even 2:1), reveals the reality of IPV (DV) to be totally at odds with how bodies such as the UN and WHO persistently portray it.
* certainly in the Western world, and most likely also in the under-developed world because of the proximity of extended family and much closer integration of the household in the wider community leading to very common third-party violence towards men acting as proxy for females.
# posted by Steve Moxon @ 3:39 pm 
