Men as victims of domestic violence: aspects of legal regulation

The representative article is devoted to the legal regulation of prevention and counteraction of domestic violence against men in Ukraine. It is pointed out the lack of due attention of the scientific legal doctrine to the problems of domestic violence, especially regarding the connotation of men as victims of this de-axiological phenomenon. It is motivated that the peculiarity of the socio-legal position of men as victims of domestic violence is that they often face social stereotypes and complicated challenges associated with insufficient recognition of their vulnerability due to socio-cultural ideas about traditional gender roles. Society often deliberately or indirectly places men in the role of the «strong half», which can lead to stigma and internal conflicts that make it difficult to identify the facts of domestic violence. The spread of the gender «stereotype of domestic violence» was dropped. It has been proven that socio-cultural stereotypes that assign men the role of strong, steadfast and self-sufficient make it difficult to recognize and accept their vulnerability. The article indicates that the latency of such a negative phenomenon among men is also due to the fact that the social reaction can be reinforced by the lack of appropriate resources and services that specialize in supporting men, and the lack of widespread awareness of their problem among the public. Men who become victims of domestic violence often feel a deep fear that they will not be believed or understood, it is caused by difficulties in society’s perception of the image of a male victim, which contradicts traditional ideas about male strength and independence. The legal need for special legal regulation regarding male victims of domestic violence is motivated by the recognition that men can also become the object of violence and need the protection and support of social and legal mechanisms. The proposed set of such measures includes preventive, psychological, legal, socio-cultural and organizational and managerial spheres.