Domestic violence is a very serious problem that affects many men, women and children in the United States and around the world. It's a topic that not many people like to talk about. Although many families experience domestic violence, the people around them don't know about it because it's a very difficult topic to discuss. Although both men and women can be victims of domestic violence, women are more likely than men to report the abuse they suffer. This is why domestic violence is often considered violence against women. No other perspective is taken into account, and this one-sidedness hides male victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence is any cycle of behavior used by one or both partners in an intimate relationship to achieve and maintain power (Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence). Families around the world face domestic violence. In most cases, the husband or boyfriend is the perpetrator of the abuse and the wife, girlfriend or child is the victim. In more cases than you might think, the victim is the male partner. Domestic violence against men is rarely mentioned when discussing the topic. This could be because these are two men in a relationship or the man does not want to be seen as less “manly”. In both cases, violence against men is as serious as violence against women. Women who have been abused by their partner are afraid to tell family or friends what they are going through for fear of retaliation from their abuser. Men who are abused by their partners feel embarrassed to tell people because they don't want to seem weak or less masculine. Although both men and women can be victims of domestic violence, women are more likely than men to report abuse. This is why domestic violence… in the center of the card… is used because domestic violence is not about sexual orientation, but about power. Male victims of domestic violence are overshadowed by the presumption that only men can be the perpetrators of abuse, and because of these stereotypes, male victims are forced to hide for fear of embarrassment. Works Cited Dutton, Donnald G., and Katherine R. White. "Male victims of domestic violence". New Men's Studies: An International Journal 2.1. 5-17. 2013. Web. April 24, 2014. Gadd, David, Stephen Farrall, Damian Dallimore, and Nancy Lombard. "Male victims of domestic violence".1-3. 2001. Network. April 24, 2014. Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "What is domestic violence." ICADV. 2014. Web. April 24, 2014. Young, Cathy. “Women receive disproportionately lighter sentences than men in domestic violence cases.” Domestic violence. Opposing points of view in context. 2009. Network. 24 April. 2014.