It is generally acknowledged that the majority of domestic violence victims are female, but this is not always the case and there is growing recognition that a significant number of men can also regularly find themselves subjected to violence and abuse at the hands of their partner.
In recognition of this fact, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recently published its first ever public statement recognising the needs and experiences of male victims of these types of offences.
This has been welcomed by male domestic abuse charity the ManKind Initiative, which has taken part in several discussions with the CPS on how such a public statement will make a huge difference to male victims of these crimes. It will hopefully lead to changing societal attitudes toward male victims, recognising these crimes happen to men as well as women and giving more men confidence that they will be supported when they come forward.
The charity highlights that in the year ending March 2016, 4.4% of men (716,000) and 7.7% of women (1.27m) aged 16 to 59 were victims of domestic abuse; with 2.8% of men (451,000) and 5.4% of women (891,000) experiencing partner abuse (non-sexual).
Figures also show that:
- In 2014-15, 61% of male victims and 88% of female victims told someone; 26% women and 10% of men told the police.
- 2.7% of men and 4.6% of women were stalked in the year ending March 2016; 0.5% of men and 1.3% of women were stalked by a partner.
- In 2015, 240 forced marriage cases (20%) involved male victims and 980 forced marriage cases (80%) involved female victims.
Contact Us
For expert legal advice on divorce and domestic violence, and other areas of family law, then contact our specialist family lawyers today.
