Domestic violence campaign vilifies men

THE recent advertising campaign on domestic violence, funded by the Justice Department on behalf of Women’s Aid, once again presented men as violent abusers and women as their hapless victims.

By supporting such a one-sided campaign, the Government and Women’s Aid are demonising our fellow Irishmen. Anyone who loves their father, brother or son should be very angry that Irish men can be vilified in this manner.

Women’s Aid are ignoring the vast body of international research which has confirmed time and again that men and women perpetrate domestic violence at similar rates.

Erin Pizzey, who opened the first shelter for victims in Britain, has always argued that it is not a gender problem.

Ms Pizzey, speaking last year about the current domestic violence hysteria, stated: “A gigantic hoax has been perpetrated and unsubstantiated statistics have been produced to feed a damaging and disastrous political ideology.”

In its report last October, the Health Service Executive announced that there were 432 suicides in Ireland in 2005, of whom 354 were men and 78 were women. The report stated that men under 35 accounted for 40% of these suicides.

Surely, at a time when male suicide in Ireland is at an all time high, the Government should be doing all in its power to raise the self esteem of our young men? Instead, it is pouring fistfuls of taxpayers’ money into yet another male-bashing campaign.

Patrick McGinnity

Derrynoose

Keady

Co Armagh

Northern Ireland