Domestic Violence Is Perpetrated by Both Men and Women

Domestic violence refers to virtually any act that causes one party to an intimate or familial relationship to fear the other party. In King County, adjudicated domestic violence victims are almost always women.  Adjudicated domestic violence perpetrators are almost always men.

The primary reason for this disparity, in my personal opinion, is that men tend to commit physical domestic violence, whereas women tend to commit psychological domestic violence.  The physical behavior is relatively easy to document. The psychological behavior, on the other hand, is difficult to document and is also a matter of opinion.

A court can wraps its mind around a photo of a black eye or a police report regarding a broken window and a sobbing woman. However, when a man testifies that the woman isolated him from his family, constantly criticized him, and kept him awake night after night, the court is likely to shrug its shoulders. 

Even if the woman’s behavior amounts to brainwashing, it is more difficult to prove and less likely to result in court action.

However, regardless of whether the victim is male or female, domestic violence should not be tolerated. If you are a victim of domestic violence, you should probably leave your home and you probably need a lawyer.