Study looks at abusive relationships

Study looks at abusive relationships

A former Family Court counsellor is investigating the effects of domestic violence in male same-sex relationships and ways to encourage victims to seek help.

Ian Cranstoun said away from the highly popularised images of gorgeous, party-loving, happy gay men is the reality that many men are currently living in or suffering the repercussions of being in an abusive relationship.

Working in the Family Court in New Zealand I came across a number of people who were in violent relationships. I didn’t know much about it, so went to get some more information and found there wasn’t a lot there, Cranstoun said of the need for further study into the area of same-sex domestic violence.

People talk about violence occurring but very few people are really prepared to come forward and speak of their experiences, possibly because of the stigma associated, particularly for males who are supposed to protect themselves.

Cranstoun said same-sex domestic violence was further compounded by a fear of being outed and, particularly for men from regional areas, a fear of being rejected by the gay community if friends side with the perpetrator.

I’m interested in asking people what would have helped them to leave the relationship earlier and also how they found services when they approached them and how they found GPs or hospitals, he said.

Based on interviews already conducted, the answer may lie in incorporating images and mention of gay people in domestic violence campaign material.

A number of people I spoke to said that it helped to be able to read about it. It made them feel like they weren’t alone with the problem, Cranstoun said.

So it’s important to look how when services do advertise things about violence, it’s always heterosexual -” there are no images of two gay men or two women.

info: If you would like to be interviewed for the Out of Sight, Out of Mind study, call Ian Cranstoun on 0406 858 551.

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