Brian McFadden and Domestic Violence

Just after lunch today for reasons only known to himself, a celebrity  shared his views on Domestic Violence.

Brian’s contribution to the discussion of Domestic Violence

According to Boy Band Singer and not very smart person Brian McFadden, women who are the victims of domestic violence are “Just as Bad” as the “Men who hit” them and apparently both are “pathetic”. Since starting this blog Domestic Violence and in particular the need for men to no longer accept, tolerate or stay silent on the matter has been a theme of a number of articles I have written. While you could go back and read them now I will boil it down very simply particularly for the likes of B. McFadden. Domestic Violence is NEVER ok, it has huge impacts on the victim, the family & children and as a society and as men more broadly we have a long way to go to make acceptable in roads into this most horrible of crimes.

Let me outline a few simple facts, 1 in 4 Australian women have experienced DV, of those 20% experienced it for the first time while they were pregnant,  Ninety percent of children present in violent homes have witnessed the 
violence perpetrated against their mother and Domestic Violence is responsible for more ill health and premature death in Victorian women under the age of 45 than any other of the well known risk factors including high blood pressure, obesity and smoking.

And yet Brian would have you believe that the fault is shared equally among the perpetrator and the victim. Does that include the dead victims Brian? Are you saying a quarter of Australian women are “just as bad” as those men who beat them? And in your moment of genius contribution please tell me you didn’t deliberately lay equal blame on the victim of violent assault while pregnant? And the Pathetic bit, how are any of these women pathetic Brian?

There is a broader problem here, while many of us who work with victims of Domestic Violence (most far more experienced than I) do our best in a variety of ways; I work largely with those victims whom have found themselves in the prison system (A small contribution), my mother works 2 jobs in the DV field and is the president of an organisation that supplies 6 different services to women and their families (a huge contribution): we often only get to help victims once the violence has taken place. Brian and his fellow celebrities intent on spreading their wisdom have access through social media and other platforms to spread a view before, during and after DV to tens of thousands of impressionable young men and women, boys and girls. Some of whom may now think, thanks to their music hero, that as men only half the responsibility is on their shoulders and as women and girls that the blame is equally theirs, they are “just as bad” and “pathetic”.

Is it any wonder the figures are so shocking? Is it any wonder why so many victims cannot in fact leave, cannot tell anyone and are unable to seek nor find justice.

Is it any wonder then Brian that I at least find your comments to be disgusting, your views completely wrong and I can only hope you either take the time to be educated by those who know better or kindly shut the fuck up! And tell fellow singer Chris Brown to do the same!

If you are the victim of Domestic Violence you are a victim of crime, please take the time to contact http://www.dvcs.org.au/

http://www.lifeline.org.au/

or 000 in an emergency.