FORENSIC ASPECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: MEN AS VICTIMS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
2023
Teodora Kiryakova | Alexander Alexandrov
Intimate partner violence (IPV), also referred to as domestic violence, is a "silent" pandemic that has been considered a problem of the family for many years. It can take various forms, including psychological, sexual and physical violence, harassment and/or threats of violence, stalking, etc., between former or current spouses or partners, in a heterosexual or homosexual relationship. Victims can be both female and male. The present study aims to assess the prevalence of IPV against men, the age characteristics of the victims, the type of perpetrator and the types of injuries caused. A retrospective joint study of cases of IPV identified during forensic examinations at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Medical University - Sofia and the Forensic unit at the Medical Institute of the Ministry of Internal affairs was conducted for the period 2017-2021. 553 of the victims out of 3027 cases of domestic violence, were male. It was indicated that in just over 50% of them the perpetrator of the crime was the intimate partner. The mean age of the affected men was 41.6 years. The injuries found during the forensic medical examinations were most often superficial, with isolated cases of more severe trauma. The prevalence of IPV against men and its main characteristics have so far been studied to a small extent, compared to that of women. The ability to identify the signs of violence and their proper assessment, appropriate behaviour and documentation of each cases should be among the competencies of every doctor.
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