Abuse is abuse is abuse, no matter who is on the receiving end. The Men s Domestic Conflict Help Line was established two years ago for both perpetrators as well as men who are victims. They receive about 100 calls each month from men, and about 10 per cent of those are from men who identified themselves as being victims of abuse, according to Berry. 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.