Khaberni - Some men today are exposed to violence within their families, a phenomenon that overturns the traditional image of males as the stronger sex, revealing that sometimes the victim can be the husband.
In a society that sees men as actors, not subjects, so-called "pink violence" or "feminine-ta violence" emerges, where homes transform from a safe space into a zone of silent conflict, stifling pain out of fear of ridicule and maintaining the image of the "strong man" in a merciless society to male weakness and reluctant to acknowledge their suffering.
Within the confines of home, stories ranging from physical violence, emotional humiliation, emotional and economic pressure burst forth, with many men remaining silent under the burden of shame and stigma.
In this context, Dr. Kamal Zarawi, a professor of social psychology at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakesh, claims in a statement to Hespress online newspaper, and being one of the Moroccan researchers interested in the topic, that value transformations have led to a new dialogue about domestic violence that is no longer exclusive to men against women.
He explains that violence by wives towards their husbands is surrounded by a wall of silence and social denial, as men fear ridicule and losing their masculinity, which drives them not to report it.
The researcher points out that violence is not limited to physical abuse but includes humiliation and degradation in front of others, emotional and financial deprivation, preventing seeing children, or abstention from marital relations, which are practices that threaten the balance of the husband and family.
He adds that some cases of violence stem from psychological disorders or accumulations related to violent environments experienced by the woman, or from feelings of inadequacy and economic or professional pressures.
The researcher believes that the financial independence of women and their professional rise could reshape the power balance within the family, creating tensions that may turn into mutual violence, emphasizing the need for individual and family psychological treatment, raising community awareness, activating family counseling centers, and enacting laws to protect all parties.
On his part, Dr. Mohammed Shrimei, a professor of sociology at Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Tetouan, in his statement to Hespress as well, also a Moroccan researcher on societal issues, believes that the violence practiced by wives or mutual violence is present and not insignificant, yet hidden due to the shame associated with men losing their prestige, alongside a legal perception that sees the woman as the only victim.
Shrimei recalls Moroccan popular proverbs reflecting the image of the woman as capable of cunning and symbolic violence, like "women's trickery is stronger than the devil's," reflecting cultural roots that frame the understanding of the phenomenon without justifying it.
He clarifies that some wives may resort to violence as a means to dominate and redistribute power within the family, benefiting from economic and cultural transformations, or as a strategy for resistance and reaction to neglect or previous violence in the absence of healthy communication.
He points out that society still associates masculinity with strength, which keeps abused men silent for fear of losing their symbolic status, thus keeping the phenomenon absent in official statistics, complicating the assessment of its magnitude and the implementation of effective policies to address it.
It is worth noting that the latest data from the Arab Barometer Network (2023-2024 cycle) indicates that the majority in the Middle East and North Africa believe that gender-based violence is on the rise, although detailed data on men specifically being targeted remains rare.
In Morocco, for instance, about 40% of citizens believe that gender-based violence has decreased, while 39% see the situation as the same for men. Previous studies indicated that "males are victims of domestic violence in the majority of the countries surveyed," with domestic violence rates recorded in Yemen at 26%, Morocco at 25%, and Egypt at 23% of households.
Despite this, violence against men, especially within the family and among spouses, remains absent in many studies and official statistics.
