Afraid to speak out

Male victims of partner abuse are often worried they won’t be believed

MEN are far less likely than women to disclose domestic abuse, even to friends and family. The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that 49% of male victims who experienced abuse from their partner in 2017/18 did not tell anyone about it.

That compares to 19% of women. Mark Brooks, chair of the ManKind Initiative, said: “One of the main reasons men do not come forward is they do not realise what they are going through is actually domestic abuse in the first place.

“Nearly all the domestic abuse campaigns focus solely on female victims, so men do not see it as a crime that could happen to them.

“Those that do recognise it are fearful that they will not be believed, that they won’t be taken seriously and even fear being laughed at for being weak.

“We need more awareness campaigns and services but also we need the public to realise this happens to men too.

“This will mean those such as family members, friends and work colleagues will spot the signs and reach out to men in trouble in the same way they do for female victims.

“Domestic abuse is getting worse under lockdown because it will be more intense as victims are stuck inside with their perpetrators. It is a real concern.”

The proportion of victims telling someone about the abuse they’ve suffered has decreased for both men and women.

In 2015/16, 88% of women disclosed their abuse, as did 61% of men, falling to 81% of women and 51% of men in the 2017/18 Crime Survey for England and Wales.

Intimate partner abuse can take place in many different forms, but often follows an escalating pattern in which controlling behaviors worsen over time.

As well as physical abuse, it can include emotional, sexual, technological and financial abuse.

Abusive behavior is used to control or exert power over a partner, and may be part of a larger cycle of violence and reconciliation.

Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be victims of partner abuse, with around 5% of women experiencing it in 2018/19, compared to less than 3% of men.

However, that still equates to 576,000 men who were a victim last year.

In that time, 16 men were killed at the hands of their current or ex-partner - although that compares to 80 women.

While female victims report experiencing higher levels of emotional, financial and sexual abuse than men, male victims report higher levels of force.

Men were also more likely to sustain a physical injury from abuse, while women were more likely to experience mental or emotional problems.

Male victims are more likely to consider suicide following abuse in 2017/18, 11% of male victims considered taking their life due to partner abuse, compared to 7% of female victims.

However, despite all this there are very few places in refuges for men.

According to ManKind, there are currently just 37 refuges or safe houses in the UK that offer space to male victims of partner abuse with only 40 dedicated places for men between them.

Many parts of the country have limited or no places- for example, in London there are no dedicated refuge spaces for men at all.