Coalition for Chris: Men's Group Speak Out Against Rihanna

Chris Brown is getting some support as he tries to move beyond his domestic violence ordeal with Rihanna.

The National Coalition for Men (NCFM) has released a statement challenging Rihanna to take ownership of her part in the domestic ordeal and discuss her violence toward the 'Take You Down' crooner.

In a press release, the NCFM wrote: "According to court records and other sources, Rihanna struck Brown in the face 'numerous times' before Brown assaulted her. NCFM purports although that would not justify his more severe assault, her violence should not be ignored, and if she does not 'woman up' to it then her message will be the usual one-sided double standards that leave female perpetration covered up."

It continued: "The saying 'There is no excuse for domestic violence' applies to both sexes. Female violence in relationships is not rare but is often hypocritically deemed acceptable or humorous, such as in the film 'Sideways.' It is part of the cycle of domestic violence, which cannot be stopped without addressing the problem honestly. Children are damaged just by witnessing domestic violence, regardless of its severity. A 32-nation study by the University of New Hampshire found women are as violent and as controlling as men in relationships worldwide.

NCFM also cites several other studies on domestic violence in its release.

"A major study funded by the Centers for Disease Control found one-fourth of heterosexual relationships had violence, and half (49.7 percent) of those were reciprocally violent. In nonrecip Chris Brown rocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70 percent of the cases."

The same study also found "while injury was more likely when violence was perpetrated by men, in relationships with reciprocal violence, it was the men who were injured more often (25 percent of the time) than were women (20 percent of the time)."

More than 200 studies now confirm that data. "Women are as physically aggressive, or more aggressive, than men in their relationships with their spouses or male partners," reports California State University professor Martin Fiebert in his online bibliography.

"This data is more reliable than criminal justice data because men are less likely to report the violence or to respond positively to crime surveys because society still does not consider female violence as much of a crime."

The NCFM statement was released just as Rihanna began receiving national press for her interview with Diane Sawyer for ABC's '20/20.'

NCFM believes that if Rihanna isn't going to fess up to her own violent ways, she's doing a greater disservice to the cause in general.

"If Rihanna sincerely wants to raise awareness about domestic violence, NCFM calls on her to be forthcoming about her own violence and to address the problem honestly," the statement concluded.

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For more stories regarding Chris Brown and Rihanna, also read: 'Breaking His Silence: Chris Brown Speaks Regarding Rihanna Ordeal' and 'Chris Brown 'Confused' By the Public.'

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