THE HIDDEN ABUSED
More than half a million men a year are domestically abused
NEARLY 700,000 men a year experience domestic abuse in England and Wales. New figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal 4.2 per cent of men aged 16-59 experienced domestic abuse in the year to March 2018.
That works out as 695,000, in total.
The data shows younger men were more likely than older men to experience domestic abuse.
Some six per cent of teenage boys aged between 16 and 19 reported that they had experienced domestic abuse during the year, as did 5.4 per cent of young men aged 20 to 24.
Just two per cent of those aged 55 to 59 reported the same.
Nearly six in every 10 men (57 per cent) who had experienced partner abuse during the year said they had suffered non-physical assaults.
This includes things like emotional and financial abuse.
Some 46 per cent had experienced force at the hands of a partner, and 29 per cent per cent said they had been threatened. Nearly a fifth of men abused by partners (18 per cent) said they had been stalked, while 2.4 per cent had been the victims of indecent exposure or unwanted sexual touching.
A spokesperson for the Men's Advice Line said: “The latest domestic violence figures remind us that anyone can be a victim, regardless of their gender.
“Male victims sometimes find it more difficult to talk about the abuse they experience, for fear of being ridiculed or having their masculinity questioned.
“Emotional and mental abuse is more commonly experienced than physical violence by male victims - particularly in heterosexual relationships.
“Male victims in samesex relationships, on the other hand, frequently report severe physical and sexual violence, including rape.
“We need to encourage more men to talk about difficulties in their relationships and give them a clear message that boys, and men, sometimes cry too; and that's okay.” Women are still more likely to be victims of domestic abuse than men.
Some 1.3 million women experienced domestic abuse in 2017/18, data shows.