Myth & Reality

MYTH: Domestic violence is not a widespread problem.
REALITY: One in three "wives" is likely to be subjected to domestic violence.

MYTH: Domestic violence is not serious. Everybody has arguments.
REALITY: Domestic Violence is behaviour that degrades, violates, and/or injures an individual.

MYTH: Domestic violence is a private matter. It is better to leave couples to sort out their differences in their own way.
REALITY: Violent crime is everybody's problem.

MYTH: Domestic violence is a working-class problem.
REALITY: Domestic violence can affect anybody. Violent abusive men can come from any economic or social background.

MYTH: A woman is more likely to be attacked by a stranger than by her partner.
REALITY: Domestic Violence is more common than violence against women in the street, pub or workplace.

MYTH: It was a one-off. It won't happen again.
REALITY: Violence against a partner is rarely a one-off incident. It usually forms part of a pattern of increasing abuse.

MYTH: Only certain types of men assault or abuse their partners.
REALITY: There  is no typical abuser. age, physical build, race, religion, or temperament are not determining factors.

MYTH: Men who abuse their partners must be mentally ill.
REALITY: There is no direct link connecting domestic violence with mental illness. Violence against women is motivated by a desire to control and maintain power over  women.

MYTH: Men who abuse their partners suffered abuse as children.
REALITY: Many men and women who were victims of violence as children do not go on to perpetrate abuse themselves. As adults we make choices whether to continue past patterns or to seek help to put the past in its place.

MYTH: Men who assault or abuse their partners are violent by nature.
REALITY: Most men who use violence against their partners are not violent outside the home.

MYTH: Domestic violence is a  momentary loss of self-control.
REALITY: Most Domestic violence is premeditated. When abusive men hit their partners, they often aim at parts of the body where where bruises will not show.

MYTH: Domestic violence is caused by alcohol.
REALITY:  Many men are violent towards their partners when they are sober. Alcohol certainly  can be a factor in violence but it is often just another excuse used by abusive men to avoid taking responsibility for their violence.

MYTH: The woman must have done something to deserve it.
REALITY: No one deserves  to be beaten or abused. Many abusive men persist in making irrational or excessive demands on their partners.

MYTH: It is more acceptable to assault or abuse your partner than it is to use violence against a stranger.
REALITY: A man has no more right to use violence against his partner then anyone else. Domestic violence is a crime and should not be tolerated or condoned.

MYTH: If the violence or abuse was really serious, the woman would report it.
REALITY: Many women who suffer violence do not report the crime for fear of reprisals, and many do not think they will be believed or taken seriously.

MYTH: If the violence or abuse was really serious, then the woman would leave.
REALITY: Fear, economic dependency, lack of alternative housing, and concerns about disrupting their children's lives are some of the factors that prevent women from leaving  abusive relationships.

MYTH: Men are physically abused by their partners too.
REALITY: Nearly all assaults between heterosexual couples involve men assaulting their partner.