Mens Equal Rights

The Men’s Legal Center
San Diego Men’s Equal Rights Attorneys

The State of California offers resources for spouses who suffer from domestic abuse, and these resources often include shelter and other forms of aid to provide for their safety and protection from additional harm. Everyone understands that domestic violence is a scourge on society that brings about not only physical but also emotional pain on the spouses and on the children of a marriage. Unfortunately, there had been a longstanding policy in California to provide these resources to women and in some cases to refuse to provide them for men. That all changed when a team of San Diego men’s equal rights attorneys and other professionals sued the state in an effort to obtain these same protections for men.

Statistics show that many instances of domestic violence and abuse are not reported. Studies also indicate that men are much less likely in general to report this type of abuse than women, for obvious reasons. However, the available statistics also indicate that as many as 36 percent of all domestic abuse victims are men, which leads to the conclusion that men have needs for shelter and protection much like women.

Unfortunately, the State of California did not always see it that way, and the taxpayer-funded shelters that were in existence offered their help primarily to women, and in some cases overtly refused to help men who needed this type of help. In response to the growing problem of lack of help for abused men, a lawsuit known as Woods v. Shewry was filed that challenged this reality under the notion of equal rights.

Ultimately, after much legal wrangling and maneuvering, the California Court of Appeal in 2008 overruled a decision made by a trial judge in Sacramento and held that:

The gender classifications in Health and Safety Code section 124250 and Penal Code section 13823.15, that provide state funding of domestic violence programs that offer services only to women and their children, but not to men, violate equal protection.

Therefore, men who are abused are now able to seek the help they need when they and/or their children are living in constant fear of abuse and violence. As this issue continues to be studied and publicized, it is becoming clear that while all sufferers of domestic abuse need some sort of help and protection, men need this help quite often.

If you and/or your child or children are suffering from the harm created by an abusive wife, you now have options at your disposal. Those who are living in this type of fear need to take immediate steps to end it for the safety of everyone involved. If this includes you and/or your child or children, contact the San Diego men’s equal rights attorneys at the Men’s Legal Center for the immediate help you need to put this suffering behind you once and for all.