Violence, unwarranted and unjustified, is wrong.

Who is more likely to be victimized by teen dating violence? If you’re quick to think it’s girls, new data shows you’re wrong. In a surprising twist, recently published research indicates boys are more likely to report being victims of dating violence committed by partners who hit, slap or push them.

Researchers with the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU) conducted a longitudinal study of dating violence. While reports of physical abuse went down over time, they say there is a troubling gender-related trend.

Five percent of teens reported physical abuse from their dating partners in 2013, down from 6 percent in 2003. But in the last year, 5.8 percent of boys reported dating violence compared to 4.2 percent of girls.

“It could be that it’s still socially acceptable for girls to hit or slap boys in dating relationships,” says lead author Catherine Shaffer, a PhD student with SFU, in a release. “This has been found in studies of adolescents in other countries as well.”

It is substantiated by multiple studies from multiple countries. But it is not limited to teens. The consensus number is 53% – a slight majority – of “domestic” violence victims are males. Men are also the majority of victims of other violence. That patriarchal privilege or something. A dollar to a donut the Canadian study, like others, found that the 5.8 and 4.2 stats are skewed as men tend to underreport while women overreport.

We don’t blame victims unless they’re men, then it’s their fault. All that toxic masculinity.

Brown’s program is part of a growing trend on campuses to address “toxic masculinity,” a term generally defined as elements of masculinity that encourage dominance and prevent men from showing emotion.

Some experts identify this as a root cause of #MeToo issues. They say it can lead to self-detrimental, sexist and sometimes violent behavior, including sexual assault.

The behavior and attitudes of young men at educational institutions is under particular scrutiny as prospective Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh faces accusations of sexual impropriety dating back to his high school years.

Many of the programs on campuses report new energy since the #MeToo movement began, while some unlikely campuses have addressed the issue for the first time because of #MeToo.

Neil Irvin is the executive director of Men Can Stop Rape, a non-profit that runs training for men, including on college campuses, on stopping sexual assault. He said it’s crucial that men break down harmful norms of masculinity.

Maybe there’s some truth to some of this. Maybe men would be better off embracing their inner witch feminine whatever. Like this:

Symbolism is real. Baphomet Records.