October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Everywhere you look, there are campaigns, public service announcements, and resources encouraging victims to speak up, seek help, and escape abusive relationships. But there's a problem... Far too often, the victims being portrayed are women, and the perpetrators are men. So where does that leave male victims? Research into intimate partner violence has repeatedly challenged the assumption that domestic violence is exclusively, or even overwhelmingly, a one-way problem. Some studies, particularly those measuring specific acts of physical aggression, have found comparable rates of perpetration and victimization between men and women. Yet male victims continue to face enormous obstacles. They're ridiculed when they speak up. They're told to man up. They're afraid they won't be believed. Some fear being treated as the aggressor when they seek help. And finding services specifically equipped to assist male victims can be another battle entirely. Today t on Boy Meets Squirrel, we're asking some uncomfortable questions:** - Why do so many domestic violence awareness campaigns seem to overlook men? - What does the research actually tell us about male victims? - Why is there still so much stigma surrounding men who experience abuse? - What happens when a man calls the police or tries to find shelter? - And how can we claim to care about domestic violence victims if we're unwilling to acknowledge all of them? We'll be discussing the research, the double standards, and the very real consequences of treating domestic violence as though it only happens to women. And as always, we want YOU involved in the conversation. Share your experiences, ask questions, and tell us what you've witnessed. Because domestic violence isn't a gender. It's abuse. And every victim deserves to be heard. #DomesticViolenceAwarenessMonth #MaleVictims #DomesticViolence #MenNeedToBeHeard #MensIssues #DoubleStandards #BoyMeetsSquirrel