Men in abusive relationships ‘overlooked’

MEN’S welfare campaigners fear an “unconscious bias” is causing police to ignore psychological abuse of vulnerable men by a partner and focus only on female victims.

The comments came after it emerged that in the first year since a law against engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate or family relationship was introduced, it was overwhelmingly used to prosecute men.

From the law’s introduction on December 29 2015 up to the end of March 2017, there were 4,246 allegations of coercive and controlling behaviour recorded, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A Freedom of Information request revealed that 272 people were charged with the offence.

Of these, just four were women. The ManKind Initiative, a helpline for male victims of domestic abuse, helped to campaign for the introduction of the law, but fears law enforcers think it is only a problem faced by women.

Last year 82 women were killed by a current or former partner compared with 13 men, but data from the ONS shows that one in three reported instances of domestic abuse involve a male complainant.

Mark Brooks, a spokesman for the charity, said: “When people say domestic abuse disproportionately affects women more than men, it’s true at one level, in that there are more female victims than male victims.

“But when you use the term ‘disproportionately’ – it’s almost saying that because there’s more female victims, then really your focus should be on female victims rather than all victims.”

Earlier this year, Jordan Worth, 22, became the first woman to be convicted of the new offence.

She subjected her partner Alex Skeel, also 22, to a series of vicious assaults, leaving him with major head trauma and serious burns.

ManKind is also concerned that cultural stereotypes of the “whipped” boyfriend can mask signs of more serious controlling behaviour and coercion.

The prosecution figures for 2017 to 2018 will not be available until next year, but ManKind hopes that attitudes towards male victims are changing.

“What we need is more prosecutions and more publicity around those prosecutions, which will therefore then educate the public,” Mr Brooks said.

The current data is not broken down by victim, so it is not clear how many of those prosecuted were in same-sex relationships, or were charged with abusing a family member other than their partner.