According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the rate of serious violent victimization — rape and sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault — has declined 77 percent from 1993. While women are more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence, to every four women that are domestically abused, one man also suffers domestic abuse. Though a gender disparity exists in these statistics, we must create policies that account for all victims of domestic violence, regardless of gender.
Men who reach out for help from domestic violence agencies are often told that the agency only helps women, while many others are assumed to be perpetrators. Another troubling factor is that statistics on rape in the most recent NCVS are representative solely of females over age 12. When the United States Department of Justice was accepting proposals for Justice Responses to Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking, it was stated that “proposals for research on intimate partner violence against, or stalking of, males of any age” would not be funded. Whether or not male victimization through intimate violence is rare, refusing to research these instances is tantamount to refusing acknowledgment. It is difficult to formulate a response to something that is as good as ignored.
However, since NCVS was published in 2010, the legal definition of rape has changed. Rape was formerly defined as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” The new definition, as of 2012, is: “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” This new definition removes gender from victimization and creates a more complete understanding of the perpetration of sexual violence as a whole. By presenting a comprehensive view of sexual assault and domestic violence, reactions can be tailored to the facts of reality and not preconceived notions of who can and who cannot be a victim.
Changing the legal definition of rape creates room for more nuance and inclusion in discussions about interpersonal violence. Incidents cannot be brushed aside because they do not subscribe to a narrow definition. Removing the gendered aspects of sexual violation creates a space where rape and domestic violence can be talked about and treated as events that everyone has the potential to experience. Acknowledging the diversity of experiences removes that dichotomy of often-assumed roles, allowing the issue of domestic violence to be addressed as not solely a women’s or men’s problem, but as a human problem.
Even as rates of violent victimization decrease, more can and should be done to acknowledge and ameliorate what occurs. If an aspect of domestic violence is not recognized, it is much more difficult to fix. By expanding definitions and eschewing assumptions, especially about gender roles, more avenues are created for acknowledgement, and by acknowledgement, healing.