Very few, probably 10 of the calls in total would be what we would call high risk. Safety for the children is the biggest concern. Shelters are just one option, and they re very expensive, and only temporary. But verbal abuse can feel like a punch in the stomach. Berry says while awareness of male violence toward women is greatly increased, there s still a lot of work to be done.
Violence is violence.
And women s violence towards men hurts just as much. I think it s very confusing for a male to sort out what is abuse. A lot of work has been done with women, and it s very important to begin to do that with men. And also deal with the shame, the guilt, the embarrassment to acknowledge that this is what s going on for me, and I must be really stupid. The shame, the feeling of being stupid, the embarrassment and isolation.