Ok so there is a reason that radar is spelled in all caps on the title. RADAR actually stands for Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting. Men’s rights activist groups like RADAR have made quite the stir in headlines lately.

RADAR recently rallied on the steps of congress to encourage their elected representative to look at the problems with domestic violence. Specifically, they claim that, “false allegations are rampant, that a feminist-run court system fraudulently separates innocent fathers from children, that battered women’s shelters are running a racket that funnels federal dollars to feminists, that domestic-violence laws give cover to cagey mail-order brides seeking Green Cards, and finally, that men are victims of an unrecognized epidemic of violence at the hands of abusive wives.” These men are angry and want legislative action on their behalf similar to the laws that have been effectuated to protect their female counterparts.

One article notes the reason for the recent success of male rights activist groups- they have worked hard to clean up their image from angry ex-husbands forced to pay child support to potential victims of domestic violence.

In my opinion, their focus should be more on ensuring proper protection for men that are abused rather than on bringing attention to any discrepancies in protection there are between male and female victims.

Unfortunately, the movement had a major setback when Men’s rights activist George Sodini opened fire in a Pittsburgh gym, killing three and injuring nine others. The purpose of the rampage was chronicled in his online journal in which he wrote about his lifelong rejection by women.

A recent study conducted by LegalMatch found an increase in male inquires in all areas dealing with domestic abuse, disputes, and sexual harassment. I recently blogged about the increase in male sexual harassment cases at work here. This figure is not surprising as the more socially acceptable it becomes to report these problems, the more men will report them. I also think that this type of increased visibility of the victims of these crimes and false accusations will serve as a catalyst for increased protection. I think that this is a really interesting aspect of society to follow both from a legal standpoint and from a political one.