DOCUMENTARY filmmaker Oyetayo Raymond Ojoade has expressed hope that his award-winning film on domestic violence against men in Trinidad and Tobago will help victims receive the support they need.
He spoke about the inspiration for his 2022 film, The Hidden Crime: Violence Against Men, in an interview with Newsday.
"All these years it is all about women, women, women," he felt. "Nothing about men. Men are victims as well."
He said some men did not realise initially they were being abused.
"Some took it for a joke. They grew up seeing their parents in the same situation. It was a part of life until friends told them they were being abused, to leave and go."
He discovered some of his male colleagues were also victims, but would only speak about their experiences behind closed doors.
"You never hear about men (being victims). People laugh at men. They think, 'How can a woman beat you up?'"
He said there were cases where women bruised themselves and told the police they had been assaulted. Ojoade also said when some men report they are victims to the police they are turned away.
"Police tell them, 'Go back home and be a man.'"
He lamented that if a man cries he is dismissed as "female" or "weak."
"Men can take it when a woman shouts at them. They keep quiet. But men should be able to talk about issues."
[caption id="attachment_1056899" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A dramatised scene from the film, The Hidden Crime: Violence Against Men.[/caption]
He speculated that men's not being able to speak about their abuse is leading to premature death.
"Men are falling sick and dying before women. They keep their problems to themselves."
He said the only place men can talk freely is in a bar, and even then they cannot tell their colleagues all that has happened to them.
"It is very sad what is happening to men."
Ojoade said statistics show more female victims than men, but speculated there was severe underreporting of male victims.
"We do not know for sure."
He said men seek counsellors, but only in private.
"We need to come out and talk about this thing and let there be significant change for the men."
Ojoade reported filming on The Hidden Crime was done between 2020 and 2022 and during the covid19 pandemic. He recalled getting content for the film was very difficult, as the victims were reluctant about going on camera.
"I had to reassure them that their voices would be changed and their faces blocked. Some victims were okay with showing their faces. The majority showed their feet and hands. They are afraid the woman (who abused them) would find out and come and 'deal' with them."
One victim whose identity is hidden in the film said that men are "under attack."
"And the reason why they cannot defend themselves is because the system is saying women are always right."
Ojoade said the victims in the film experienced different types of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual and financial.
"Some men go as far as putting money on a woman's land to build a house. Then the woman turned
