Abused Men Representing Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence and/or Sexual Abuse in Law and Order: SVU

Abstract

The paper focuses on visual representations of intimate partner violence (IPV) and female perpetrated sexual assault (FPSA) in a cis-hetero context. Although research suggests that male the number of male victims is closer to female victims than believed by the general public, representation of such scenarios is still scarce. The paper analyses six episodes of the American police procedural, Law and Order: SVU depicting female perpetrated intimate partner violence and/or sexual assault; and concentrates on the representational attitudes of the series regarding the crime itself, the depiction of victims, the portrayal of perpetrators and the main characters’ reactions during the investigations; and argues that the series depicts the existing myths, stereotypes and attitudes surrounding these male victims, but often questions them as well, and provides education for the audience about female perpetrated IPV and sexual abuse.