Yes, indeed there are two people in it: the ‘abuser’ and the ‘victim’ of that abuse.
The essence of any abusive relationship is power and control and the abuser establishing and maintaining this power and control over his partner.
1 in 7 women (as opposed to 1 in 17 men) are affected by Domestic Violence (National Crime Council 2005).
Most partner-related violence is perpetrated entirely by men, with women twice as likely as men to have experienced severe physical abuse (National Crime Council 2005).
Seeing violence against women in the context of gender helps us to make sense of the scale and nature of it. Since 1996 over 200 women have been murdered in the Republic of Ireland, with over 50% of these women killed by a partner or ex-partner and 64% of these women in their own home (Women’s Aid Femicide Watch 2017).
We should ask ourselves two questions:
If we ended all violence against men by women what would happen? The answer: Virtually nothing.
If we ended all violence against women by men what would happen. The answer: Virtually everything!
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or is affected by any of the issues mentioned above phone COPE Galway Domestic Abuse Service at 091 565 985 (24 hours)
