I have noticed that there are some issues sure to garner letters to the editor. Anything dealing with roads and the flow of traffic ignites many people to express their concerns. Cuts to services for senior citizens almost always results in community members speaking out.

I have been waiting to see if anyone in our community would write a letter about the seemingly endless array of stories of sexual and physical violence being perpetrated in our community, state, and nation. Maybe I missed something, but aside from the reporting in The Free Press, this is a topic about which this community is silent.

The following are headlines in the Free Press from this month alone: “Ophthalmologist wants two sex charges dismissed,” “Mankato man, accused with threatening his girlfriend, arrested,” “Former coach pleads guilty to having sex with player,” “Former Gibbon pastor Radtke sentenced to 180 days,” “Man arrested for window peeping,” “Albert Lea man arrested on child porn charges.”

Have we just had a bad month or is this reflective of a problem that gets little attention, beyond the headlines? If you talk with people who work with victims, whether victims of child sexual abuse, family or intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking, they tell us that the headline stories are just a drop in the bucket.

Most people never report such crimes. The risks of reporting are often greater for victims than the benefits. Credibility is almost guaranteed to be questioned, especially if the perpetrator is a beloved or prominent member of one’s family or the community.

Who is perpetrating these crimes? We like to believe they are committed by “deviants” or “strangers” that prey upon the innocent. Not true. Most often victims know their perpetrator. Most are not psychopathic.

The headlines are often neutral in identifying the gender of the perpetrator. Is this because we presume the perpetrator is male? Is this because the reporting of gender is not deemed relevant? I know some people reading this will take great offense to this statement — but facts are facts. Perpetrators of physical and sexual violence are overwhelmingly men, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Most men do not perpetrate such crimes. True. But men as a group are silent on this issue.

Women have been at the forefront of efforts to eradicate child abuse, domestic and sexual violence, and other forms of interpersonal violence. Child Protection Services (CPS) is largely “women’s work.” Domestic violence and sexual assault services are almost solely “women’s work.” Men may be involved in law enforcement and prosecuting of crimes (important work), but the people at the frontlines working with victims and engaged in systems advocacy and public education are mostly women.

 One exception is the Minnesota Men’s Action Network: Men as Peacemakers (http://www.menaspeacemakers.org/programs/mnman). Work with victims is often undervalued, workers are undercompensated, and services are underfunded. Government services, in which CPS is part, are viewed by many as unnecessary, wasteful, and inefficient. Non-profit service providers working with victims, rely on public dollars and philanthropy — both of which are dwindling. The private for-profit sector has not stepped forward; perhaps realizing that there is no money to be made in helping crime victims.

Einstein said the definition of “insanity” is “doing the same thing over the over again and expecting different results.” Most of our money, time, and effort are spent responding to crime victimization and incarceration. Very few resources are devoted to primary prevention — ensuring that victimization never occurs.

In 2007 Minnesota spent $221 million (federal and state dollars) responding to sexual violence (http://www.pire.org/documents/mn_brochure.pdf). Fifty-nine percent were perpetrator costs and 41 percent were victim costs. Minnesota spent zero state generated dollars on primary prevention. Most of our so-called primary prevention is aimed at decreasing the risk for victimization.

 “Good touch, bad touch” does not prevent being touched in the first place. It just teaches kids that if they are touched in a “bad” way they should tell someone they trust. Risk reduction is not primary prevention — it will not stop a coach from raping your son in a locker room if that is his intent.

Katz, in his book “The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How all Men Can Help” contends that it is time we examine the roots causes of male violence in our society and make it clear that men must get involved in stopping it. Katz makes it clear that while most men do not perpetrate violence, most men (and I would argue most male-dominated institutions) behave as bystanders — failing to get involved.

 Expecting women, doing “women’s work,” to fix a problem largely perpetrated by some men and ignored by most others is not going to fix the problem. It is time for interpersonal violence to become a “men’s problem.” Women have been doing the heavy lifting for over 50 years. Frankly, we are tired.



Nancy M. Fitzsimons, Ph.D, MSW, is a professor of social work at Minnesota State University.



Sources:

Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2011, March 6). Offender characteristics. Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=942

Cost of Sexual Violence in Minnesota. http://www.pire.org/documents/mn_brochure.pdf

Katz, J. (2006). The Macho Paradox: Why some men hurt women and how all men can help. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc.