Via ABC News
When the state government of Victoria first flagged the idea of holding its ground-breaking Royal Commission into Family Violence four years ago, domestic abuse experts around the country practically tripped over themselves in their rush to support it.
Finally, here was an opportunity to crack open the festering, deadly problem and chart a clear path to fixing it. Others, though, began battening down the hatches, preparing for all hell to break loose.
Annette Gillespie, then head of Safe Steps, Victoria's 24-hour family violence support service, warned government ministers that shining a spotlight on the underbelly of abuse would trigger a fierce backlash from perpetrators, who would react angrily to the idea that their behaviour could be exposed, that they'd have to change.
It was a dangerous time, Ms Gillespie told investigative reporter Jess Hill, because men had never had less control in society, and many would seek to reclaim some of that lost power in their intimate relationships: "It's the only place they can safely have control, where they can be king of the castle."
Which is exactly what happened.
See also:
Taking a razor to toxic masculinity the Gillette ad doesn’t shame men it calls them higher
We need to talk about toxic masculinity
CSR begins with men growing a conscience
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