Believe Him Too: End the Stigma Against Male Domestic Abuse Victims

The Petition

Domestic abuse does not discriminate, and neither should our compassion, our support systems, or our willingness to listen.

We hear conversations about domestic violence every day, but there is one part of this conversation that is too often overlooked: male victims.

Men can be abused physically, emotionally, psychologically, sexually, and financially. They can experience manipulation, threats, intimidation, coercive control, and stalking at the hands of a current or former partner. Yet, when a man tries to speak up, he may be met with laughter, disbelief, judgment, or questions about why he didn’t simply fight back or leave.

Some are told to “man up.” Others are asked how a woman could possibly abuse a man. Some are made to feel weak for admitting they are afraid of their partner. Others stay silent because they fear losing their children, being falsely portrayed as the aggressor, or never being believed in the first place.

No one should have to prove their strength by suffering in silence.

The statistics tell us this is a real problem.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), its 2016–2017 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey found that approximately 1 in 4 U.S. men—31.1 million people—had experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner and reported at least one related impact during their lifetime. Those impacts included injury, fear, concerns for personal safety, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The CDC also reports that nearly 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.

These numbers represent real people. They represent fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, boyfriends, friends, and coworkers. They represent people who may be struggling behind closed doors while the rest of the world assumes they are fine.

Sources: CDC — Intimate Partner Violence Among Men and CDC — 2016–2017 Intimate Partner Violence Report.

Why does the stigma matter?

When society treats male victims as a joke, it reinforces the very silence that allows abuse to continue.

When people assume men cannot be victims, they make it harder for survivors to recognize what is happening to them, seek help, escape unsafe relationships, and begin healing.

When a man is afraid to tell someone what is happening at home because he expects to be mocked rather than helped, we have failed him.

This petition is not about taking attention away from female victims. Women experience domestic violence at alarming rates and deserve every bit of protection, compassion, and support available to them.

This is about making room for male victims in the same conversation. Supporting one survivor does not require abandoning another. Abuse is wrong regardless of the victim’s sex or gender, and every survivor deserves to be treated with dignity.

What are we asking for?

We are calling on community leaders, educators, healthcare professionals, law enforcement agencies, domestic violence organizations, and policymakers to take meaningful steps toward ending the stigma surrounding male domestic abuse victims.

We ask for:

Public awareness and education. Challenge harmful stereotypes and teach people that domestic abuse can affect anyone, regardless of sex, gender, physical strength, or social status.
Inclusive domestic violence services. Ensure male survivors can access safe shelter, counseling, legal guidance, crisis support, and other resources without discrimination or unnecessary barriers.
Better training for professionals. Encourage first responders, healthcare workers, social workers, counselors, and law enforcement to recognize signs of abuse in male victims and respond without bias.
Support for fathers and families. Ensure that male survivors who are parents can find appropriate guidance and support when abuse involves their home, their children, or concerns about custody and safety.
An end to victim-blaming and ridicule. Challenge jokes, dismissive comments, and assumptions that minimize abuse simply because the victim is a man.
More visible support and resources. Encourage domestic violence organizations and community groups to make it clear that male survivors are welcome to seek help and will be treated with respect.
To the men who are suffering in silence

If you are reading this and recognize your own situation, please know this: you are not weak for being hurt. You are not less of a man because someone has abused you. You do not have to be physically overpowered for your experiences to be real. And you do not deserve mistreatment because of your partner’s anger, insecurity, or choices.

You deserve safety. You deserve to be heard. You deserve help without shame.

You are not alone, and asking for help is not a failure.

Our call to action

By signing this petition, you are standing up for the men who have been dismissed, the fathers who are afraid to speak, the sons who have been taught to hide their pain, and the survivors who are still searching for the courage to ask for help.

You are helping send a message that should never have needed to be said in the first place:

Men can be victims, too. Abuse is abuse. And every survivor deserves to be believed, respected, and given the opportunity to find safety and healing.

Let us build a society where no man has to choose between speaking up and being humiliated. Where asking for help is met with compassion rather than judgment. Where domestic violence is recognized for what it is—not excused, minimized, or laughed away.

Sign this petition. Share this message. Help us end the stigma.

Because no one should have to suffer in silence simply because the world expects men to be strong.