Excellent article @petticoat.hyena . Followed for more excellent articles with an interesting view.

I am male and haven't even considered hitting a woman since I was 10 years old and punched my sister's friend (in the arm) after she beat me to the curb in a race to put out the trash. Even before I got into huge trouble from my parents, and even at 10 years old, I knew I had done something very wrong. I'm 35 and that moment is etched in my memory.

At 21 I was engaged to a violent partner. I was young passionate and have always enjoyed a healthy debate. I have been told my words can be extremely cutting. This combination led to me copping quite a few beatings.

Whilst the thought of a 150cm 42kg (5" and 90lbs) beating up on a solid Aussie surfer might seem comical, trust me this girl could hit (and so could her handbag).

I went to an old-fashioned private school where the odd beating from the older boys was almost a "right of passage". As crazy as it seems, you weren't really cool uness you copped the odd beating from the older boys. So I had been "conditioned" to take punches, but it was the mental effect that was most painful to deal with.

Even if I was capable of taking the hits, it still made me feel like a worthless piece of shit at times. Whilst the physical side of domestic violence is a major concern, the psychological scarring of this plague on our society can be just as detrimental.

I'm all good now though. Yewww!

Fish