There is quite a long article on the BBC about Erin Pizzey, who founded the first domestic violence shelters. Excerpt:
'Erin Pizzey, the woman who began it all in a small house in west London, later developed a theory that would lead her to leave the organisation and decry feminism. She now campaigns for men's rights.
What happened?
...
Ms Pizzey parted ways with the charity in the early 1980s after a disagreement revolving around feminism and her belief it was "anti-man" and forced women into the role of victim.
Her childhood was prominent in her mind when "feminists started demonising all fathers", as she puts it. The memories of both parents "reminded me of the truth - domestic violence is not a gender issue.
"I have never been a feminist, because, having experienced my mother's violence, I always knew that women can be as vicious and irresponsible as men."
Her stance now on domestic abuse is that violence is a family issue, usually intergenerational, and men and women are equally capable and culpable of it.'
