BRIEFING ON MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE / MALE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS

Every year, thousands of men become domestic violence victims and these male domestic violence victims find they few places to turn to. They are the forgotten victims of domestic violence.

This briefing Download male_domestic_violence_victims_briefing.pdf outlines the plight of men and has been collated over the past six months with up-to-date statistics and issues.

There is clear evidence that local authorities,the government and the Equal Opportunities Commission are purposely ignoring the plight of men leaving themselves open to a Gender Equality Duty challenge.

The Executive Summary of the briefing is outlined below.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Men make up 24% of domestic violence victims in the past five years

• 1 in 6 men will become victims of domestic violence in their lifetime

• There are no male-only refuges in the UK as opposed to over 470 for women. There are five women’s refuges that have at most 11 places for men.

• There are only three small charities funded mainly by donations helping male victims whilst female charities receive huge state funding

• Local authorities receive £59 million per year in government funding to support female domestic violence victims and receive nothing to support men

• Local authorities are measured by the government on the support they give to female victims but are not measured on the support they give to male victims

• Society’s view, driven by the state, the courts and the media, is that only women are victims of domestic violence.

• It is time for the government and all elements of the state to officially recognise the problem and to produce, fund and implement a nationwide strategy to help male victims

It is time for the government, local authorities, media and society to recognise that domestic violence is a social problem and that it affects men as well as women.

Male victims need help.

Comments

[David Hughes]

There is a slight chink of light appearing at the moment through the overarching feminist blackout on male victims of dometic violence. There have been a few radio programmes on the subject and, very recently the Welsh branch of ManKind was asked to submit real experiences of men who have suffered for a publication by the BMA. In the preface they acknowledge ManKind's contribution.

We submitted four but only two were used; still, it's a start. But we must press on pushing this issue until the final truth emerges: that women are as violent as men. Anyone who doubts this can read all four cases I refer to on the ManKind Wales web site at www.mankindwales.org.uk

There is also a short article on the four vicious women who forced two toddlers to fight each other while thay all laughed and made a video of the whole child abuse episode. NSPCC published figures clearly show that women perpetrate most child abuse, but this was really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

[Robin Williams]

David Hughes of Mankind is right to say that we must push this issue. My own case is proof of this. I was hospitalised twice and classified as a battered husband in 1986 yet - 21 years later - there is no improvement in the attitude of the police, local authorities or, generally, the public to the problem of domestic violence against men. We must all bring about change instead of merely being another 'talking shop'.

[VERNON COUCH]

One of the largest hurdles for a male victim of domestic assault at the hand of his female partner is to convince the social services. How can a large man prove his little demure wife can be capable of inflicting such terrible injuries on him.The social workers and g.p.s need to get their act together on this matter before more men are killed.