The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the War on Men
Conceptually, VAWA is based on the false Duluth Power and Control Wheel model. VAWA falsely presumes that all Domestic Violence (DV) is perpetrated by evil patriarchal males against virtuously innocent female victims. This false gender ideology has no research support.
By contrast, social science research, replicated across hundreds of studies, shows that: DV is initiated about equally by men and women; slightly more women than men are physically harmed by DV but men nonetheless still represent more than 40% of the physically harmed victims; the DV initiation rates for women, and especially young women, have been rising; and DV has nothing to do with an evil patriarchy because the DV rates for bisexuals, gays, and lesbians all are higher than for heterosexual couples.
The research further exposes misrepresentation in the title: “The Violence Against Women Act.” Given that DV approaches 50-50 on most indices, why does Congress want to serve only half of the victims? Where are the programs for male victims of DV? Where is the money for fathers and their children who have been victimized by violent and abusive wives and mothers?
The relentless feminist war on boys, men, and fathers across the past half century has successfully destroyed one of the bedrock foundational institutions of American society, the American family.
VAWA has been pivotal in the destruction of the family by depriving fathers of their civil rights, due process rights, and their right to cross-examine those who falsely accuse them of DV — most notably during divorce proceedings. VAWA also provides free legal services to purported women victims while simultaneously denying free legal services to men.
VAWA most effectively destroys families through temporary Restraining Orders. Gone are the days when physical evidence of DV was required and cross-examination was permitted to help judges distinguish between false and true allegations. In today’s courts, a woman can allege to a judge (without the accused being present) that she was the victim of DV and is requesting a restraining order based on “expanded” definitions of DV. “Expanded” definitions include vague senses of discomfort, fears, and “Economic DV” (where the man did not fulfill the woman’s economic wants).
Judges virtually always grant VAWA restraining orders to women “just to be on the safe side” even when there is no tangible evidence of threat — just the woman’s non-verifiable internal purported feelings. Tragically, however, the consequences to children, fathers, and families are very tangible. With the restraining order in hand, the police remove the father from the home (often in the middle of the night) with nothing but the shirt on his back, order him to stay out of his home and away from his wife and children, and immediately begin paying child support to the woman who just “stole” his children and his home from him.
Fair, you ask? Convicted in what court of what crime by what jury on the basis of what evidence, you ask? The answers are obvious.
Critically, the current VAWA reauthorization will come before the Senate in a matter of days and lists 61 co-sponsors. As a man – or equally as a woman who loves her son, father, brother, nephew, grandson, husband or who wants male friends in her life – could you vote for any Senator who co-sponsors VAWA?
This may be your last opportunity to re-balance the scales of justice, to demand genuine domestic violence reform, and to end the war on boys, men, fathers, and families. If your Senator is a co-sponsor, contact them immediately. Tell them that unless they withdraw their co-sponsorship, you will withdraw your vote.
Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology Emeritus at Florida International University in Miami. His faculty website is: http://casgroup.fiu.edu/psychology/faculty.php?id=200
For more on VAWA, discrimination against men and the war against them see our issues page: www.ncfm.org/category/issues/
Stand behind the Senators that voted against VAWA: http://mensrightsboard.blogspot.com/2012/04/lets-…
We need to call out all politicians to task this year and make them face the music and admit the misandric and discrimintory nature of laws like VAWA and repeal them. if a candidate won't take the right stand on this issue vote his MANGINA ass out.
thank you for helping point out what everybody in the government and the media refuse to acknowledge.
why
Finally if I may share a link the way I see it for every prosecution of someone who has been falsely accused it is a waste of federal dollars , VAWA Grants to be exact . So maybe this is a resource for us to use online reporting form .I love technology
http://www.justice.gov/oig/FOIA/WasteReportingFor…
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/viewart/201204…
To the point and its like reliving my life story. Please also provide us with details on how we can take action to raise the awareness. It is not about gender, its about being human which is to seek the truth and as humans we should all care about getting to the truth.
The article does talk about LGBT with higher DV rates. I would add 'I' for intersex to make it LGBTI. And can intersex people who are genetically male use VAWA? If so, why cannot other genetic males use VAWA? How does VAWA define "women"?
Exceptionally well-written, this concise article is straight to the point of major problems with VAWA.
Thank you Dr. Finley. I hope that you will submit this to newspapers all over the USA, and I really hope that they publish it. There is no reason not to. It is well written, authoritative, sensible, compelling, timely and important. Thank you again.
This was a very informative and intelligently written article by Mr. Finley. Each day I seek to learn more about this onerous practice of bogus orders of protection and the broader issues of men's rights (or lack thereof). Mr Finley helped me add to my knowledge base. I'll look forward to reading more of his writings here.
I ask that all who read this will go to the link I've provided and support my letter to my Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle. The subject: Bogus Orders of Protection.
Please Read and Sign My Petition to My Congresswoman: 'Stop Bogus Orders of Protection – A Constitutional Travesty'
I am the victim of a bogus order of protection; my bipolar ex-wife even recanted her fraudulent claims and wanted to re-marry me. It was my ex-spouse who was the abuser who fraudulently filed a divorce against me using an order of protection as a weapon. It worked: an innocent life was destroyed: mine. Not only was I thrown out of my home but my college age daughter at that time, was thrown out as well as my ex-spouse change the locks and kept her possessions as well.
My goal is to speak with my Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle who represents the Central New York Region. I have already been in written and verbal contact with her office and have been promised a call from a staff member in the very near future. I will not relent in seeking justice for any person, man or woman, who has been abused by our legal system. We must change the perverse laws that are in place such as VAWA and change our representatives who are a part of this system of abuse of innocent people.
Here is the link to my petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/u-s-house-of-repr…
I will remain an advocate for this cause and the defense of men's rights for the rest of my life. I'm articulate, able to write well and am a comfortable, engaging public speaker.
I have some supportive documentation to back up my claims that it was my ex-spouse who was the abuser in the relationship and I was attempting to escape it. Although this occurred several years ago I live with the ramifications of this state-sponsored perversion of the legal system every day of my life.
Thanks in advance for your consideration of reading and signing my petition.
I am as well the victim of a bogus order of protection, more than likely the only woman in the country who can say “I am one of the Guy's " and have walked in the shoes of many men before me. As I am starting to learn all too well the easiest way to deal with issues is to scream abuse. Whether said abuse is Domestic Violence, Child or Sexual, in doing so the "victim” is afforded the ability to bear false witness without being held accountable for their actions.
These abusers of the system will do anything to assure their problems are now someone else’s problems. VAWA is designed to protect true victims, however, in the wrong hands VAWA the shield becomes the sword. A weapon of mass family destruction which steals resources from true victims.
In my case my step daughter was bi polar a drug addict and “recovering alcoholic “ who was soon to be involved in a custody battle with her ex husband who at the time was in Iraq serving in the US Army. Without a word to the father, she decided to leave Texas with their 4 year old son packed everything, sent a certified letter to an APO in Iraq leaving no explanation where she was going or who she was living with.
Much to my objections she was living in my home and” Daddy’s Little Girl” was enabled by my husband to wreak havoc on our home, our marriage, and my daughter (minor) and my life. The collateral damages have been far more than any law abiding citizen should suffer. The truth needs to be told as VAWA has protected many a victim, but has made criminals and victims out of innocent people.
What would you say if I told you a judge placed on order of protection on a Solider while in Iraq?
What would you say if I told you that the soldier was never in front of the judge to tell his side of the story?
What would you say if I told you I never got to tell my story either?
I am not very articulate Bill I have stayed up night after night trying to figure out the way to tell a story that is so bizarre it can’t be true. I hope if this is not clear you can help me to get the story told.
I believe you articulated your circumstance quite well Sophie. Your use of the word ‘bizarre’ was right on the money. I admit I was completely blind to the depth of the perversion that exists in our family court system that this type of ‘tort’ goes uninvestigated and unpunished. The ‘tortfeasor’, a person who intentionally or unintentionally causes harm to another should be held accountable for criminal and/or civil charges. An industry has been created due to VAWA that sets in motion life-destroying legal, financial, emotional and psychological havoc on an innocent person because the true guilty party falsifies a claim that they are merely ‘fearful’. In my case that’s all it took. Indeed, I was the fearful one.
This is a complex problem that won’t be rectified soon. It is that daunting challenge that keeps many on the sidelines out of a sense of hopelessness. That must change. Take a look at the organizational excellence of the VAWA supporters. I reference you to a website that provides detailed instructions on how to promulgate support for their cause. The organization is the ‘National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women’.
http://4vawa.org/pages/mobilize-with-the-vawa-too…
Until men and women of conscience organize to the degree that the VAWA forces have, the type of abuse that you, I and tens of thousands of others have suffered shall continue. I would suggest starting by emailing and sending a hardcopy letter to your representatives as I did. In New York State both my Senators have co-sponsored the re-authorization of VAWA. I started with my representative in the US House of Representatives. They represent you on a local level and you should have decent access to speaking to them or their staff as I am in the process of doing. I believe the path to eventual success in this grotesque use of the courts and law enforcement as accomplices in the repeated commission of an intentional tort…a crime…is to vote for elected officials who will seek end this onerous and what one would think would be an illegal practice.
If you write your letter with the same calm, intelligent yet emotionally compelling and descriptive manner as you wrote here, I think you’ll get their attention. We must remind our elected representatives that they work for us all, not just the most powerful special interest groups.
Do you mind if I promote this on my blog?