With special guest:

• Dr. Greg Dear.

A groundbreaking report from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia has found that male victims of domestic violence can suffer from a unique form of legal/administrative abuse previously unidentified in research, as well as experiencing most of the same impacts as female victims.

The Intimate Partner Abuse of Men report, launched on 26th May in Perth, found that “Male victims of intimate partner abuse and their children suffer a range of consequences, such as psychological distress (including disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders), suicidal ideation, impaired self concept and loss of work.”

It found that male victims are often reluctant to disclose their experience of abuse or seek help because of their sometimes justified fears that they will not be believed, that they will not be assisted or will instead be blamed for the abuse.

The study recommends that government-funded public campaigns be conducted to raise awareness of domestic violence against men; that consideration should be given to providing publicly-funded services specifically for male victims; and that workers in health and welfare fields should be provided with training to assist them to recognise and respond effectively to male victims of domestic violence.

Today on Dads on the Air, we play an in-depth interview by the One in Three Campaign with Dr. Greg Dear. Greg is Senior Lecturer in Psychology in the School of Psychology and Social Science at Edith Cowan University. He is the co-author, along with Professor Alfred Allan and Emily Tilbrook, of the Intimate Partner Abuse of Men report, commissioned by the Men’s Advisory Network.

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