Imagine witnessing a brutal scene of domestic violence (DV) on the street. A broken nose floods the victim’s torso with blood, a stomach punch causes collapse on the pavement, and you hear a moan for help. What would you do, how would you feel? Now imagine the victim is a man attacked by a woman. Have your responses changed?

If you take the violence less seriously and feel less inclined to help, then you reflect society. For decades, a systematic and pervasive campaign has denied or diminished the suffering of male victims. The police and courts – as well as people on the street – either disbelieve or turn a deaf ear to his cries. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), currently up for reauthorization, epitomizes this This touchstone legislation on domestic violence makes no mention of men as victims, only of men as perpetrators.