UK Guardian: "Women's refuges told they must admit men"

Submitted by Matt on Mon, 2009-04-06 15:48

Article here. Excerpt:

'Charities for battered women have been threatened with the loss of their funding unless they help male victims of domestic violence, under new equality laws.

Women's Aid, the domestic violence charity whose patrons include the prime minister's wife, Sarah Brown, says its female-only services are essential to reassure battered women and children that they will be safe. However, some local authorities are demanding that services such as counselling and outreach be opened to both sexes.

Fiona Mactaggart, the former Home Office minister, said some refuge services had lost grants or contracts in what she said was an "unintended consequence" of changes in equality law.

"There are some local authorities who interpret equalities to mean that a refuge has to provide for men, not only for women," said Mactaggart, co-chair of the women's parliamentary Labour party, a grouping of female MPs. "There are some stupidnesses developing in the system that nobody intended."

Although 15% of men say they have been physically assaulted by a partner, according to the most recent British Crime Survey, the extent to which men suffer domestic violence is disputed. Surveys have suggested that many allegations of being assaulted by women are made by men facing prosecution for domestic violence.
...
Mactaggart wants ministers to resolve the problems unwittingly created by the so-called gender equality duty, which requires local authorities to ensure that services do not discriminate on grounds of sex. The Government Equalities Office said councils were being overzealous about the new duty, adding: "This cannot be an excuse [for cutting services]. This interpretation of the duty is law."'

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Comments

It's encouraging to see that nations are forcing domestic violence charities to provide services to the male victims, but it's discouraging how said charities are saying that this is a hinderance, with absolutely nothing to back up their claim.

It reminds me of women who never go to the gym and use the excuse "I don't like working out with men", which is a piss poor excuse to begin with, and is ultimately invalid. Anything to blame your problems on men, right?

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

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Submitted by xtrnl on Mon, 2009-04-06 16:27

Amazing!

So when they create legislation to combat sex discrimination and the new laws highlight the sexism against men - response:

"It was an unintended side effect"

But don't worry because feminism is about equality for all. But as men are never discriminated against its all academic.

Solution now: Adjust the law to remove the unintended side effect of giving men some equality.

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Submitted by empirical on Mon, 2009-04-06 17:15

POSITIVE -- Isn't it great that these anti-male groupings are being exposed for their bias. Brilliant that their funding has been cut.

NEGATIVE - the one-sidedness of the article is infuriating. Where's the male perspective eh??. Tons of column inches given over to indefensible feminist twaddle, false insinuations etc etc. This supposedly from a professional journalist signed up to the journalists' code of ethics and working for a national newspaper!?!.

That feminism is DEFINITELY NOT about "equality" is beyond question. Here the falsehood is SO obvious.

FINAL THOUGHT: Why isn't anyone suing these "women-only" refuges for discrimination - a test case if you like. This should be done before the "witches club" connive to pass some mealy-mouthed ruling allowing them to continue keeping male DV victims away from "their" refuges. Bloody hell, these refuges are getting tax breaks funded by you and me!!

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Submitted by BB on Thu, 2009-04-16 20:04