Media

The ManKind Initiative regularly works with the media (press, TV, radio and online) to highlight the issues facing male victims of domestic abuse and can supply an experienced spokesperson (Chairman, Mark Brooks OBE), statistics and case studies (notice needed for case studies, if possible).

For key policies and campaigns, including briefings on the Domestic Abuse Bill, please visit here.

Members of the media can call

07834 452357 or e-mail chairman@mankind.org.uk

Media Coverage of Male Victims including court cases

Media Coverage of Male Victims of Domestic Abuse (2007 to 24 Feb 2025)

Key Statistics on Male Victims (this is being revised in summer 2025 so please use the up to date summary/overarching statistics below): Male victims of domestic abuse and partner abuse – 70 key facts and statistics (June 2023)

Summary/Overarching Statistics (Up to Date)

• The latest Office for National Statistics figures for 2023/24 show that in that year one in three victims of domestic abuse are male equating to 712,000 men (3.0%) and 1.61 million women (6.6%). (ONS 2023/24).

• One in seven men (13.7%) and one in four women (27.4%) will be a victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime. This is 2.95 million men and 6.4 million women. (ONS figures 2023/24).

• In terms of partner abuse, 403,000 men were victims (986,000 women) equating to 1.9% of men and 4.6% of women. (ONS 23/24)

• One in ten men (9.7%) and one in five women (22.9%) will be a victim of partner abuse in their lifetime (ONS figures 2023/24). This is 1.8 million men and 4.4 million women.

• Of domestic abuse crimes recorded by the police, 27% were committed against men (ManKind Initiative).

• Only 4.8% of victims of domestic abuse being supporting by local domestic services are men according to SafeLives data. This highlights how few men are being supported for local domestic abuse services (ONS 2022/23).

• 58.99% of the men who call the ManKind Initiative helpline have never spoken to anyone before about the abuse they are suffering and 64% would not have called if the helpline was not anonymous (ManKind Initiative). 98% of the men who call are undergoing psychological abuse, 82% coercive controlling behaviour, 69% physical abuse and 29% economic abuse. (ManKind Initiative)

• Currently in the UK (February 2025) there are 60 organisations with 436 refuge or safe accommodation spaces available for men (128 are dedicated for men and 308 for men or women). These figures are hugely skewed by one organisation with 46 dedicated spaces. If these were removed, the spaces would be 59 organisations with 390 places (82 dedicated). The median number per organisation is 5 spaces. (ManKind Initiative).

• According to the Government’s Safe Accommodation report (2023/24), 1,830 men (3% of total) were supported in safe accommodation.

• 21% of male victims (2022/23) fail to tell anyone they are a victim of partner abuse – which is big improvement as previously it was 49% in 2017/18. The figures for female victims are 18.2% (2022/23) and 19% (2017/18). (ONS 2022/23).

• 6.5% of male victims (2.8% women) have considered taking their life due to partner abuse in 2022/23. The charity has seen an increase in calls regarding suicide ideation over the pandemic period and beyond. (ONS 2022/23).

• The ManKind Initiative estimates that between 3-5 men every week die by suicide due to domestic abuse

• In 2023/24, 8 men died at the hands of their partner or ex-partner compared to 58 women. Over ten years, 120 men have been killed in by a partner/ex-partner compared to 699 women (ONS 2023/24). Of the 40 men killed in domestic homicides involving a partner of ex-partner between April 2020 and March 2023, 33 were by women and 7 by men.

Office for National Statistics: Key Document Page (latest up until end of March 24)

See the statistics page for more.

Latest Press Releases / Articles

November 2022: Supporting Male Victims of Domestic Abuse Day #MenYouAreNotAlone

July 2022: Statement on Emma-Jayne Magson (‘Tony Martin’) Appeal: “Licence to Kill Male Partners Averted”

May 2022: Statement on Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Court Case Verdict

March 2022: Statement on Government Supporting Male Victims document : Need proven for a Intimate Violence Against Men and Boys Strategy

November 2021: ManKind Initiative charity for male victims of domestic abuse launches online services directory on 20th anniversary

August 2021: Praise for public response over level of Ofcom complaints about Love Island

July 2021: New research highlights impact of coercive control on UK men

July 2021: ManKind Initiative response to the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy announcement (The voices of male victims of domestic abuse can no longer be ignored – parallel Intimate Violence Against Men and Boys Strategy needed)

June 2021: Homicide research reveals society ‘blind’ to male victims of domestic abuse

April 2021:The application of the welcome Domestic Abuse Act has to meet “The Male Survivors Test” to ensure it meets the needs of male victims.

March 2021: Statement on conviction of Emma-Jayne Magson for killing James Knight:  “We are very pleased that this deserved second conviction for murder has been reached against Emma-Jayne Magson. Our thanks to the jury, Leicestershire Police and the CPS. Our thoughts are with the female family members of James who have shown great strength throughout. We have been appalled at Justice for Women who continue to portray a twice-convicted murderer as the victim and attack James who lost his life. It was bad enough at the trial that the QC they support attacked the integrity of his mother and previous men she had attacked.”

December 2020: National Quality Service Standards for Male Victims and Survivors of Domestic Abuse Launched

August 2020: Successful complaint to Office for Statistics Regulation about the Home Office use in the Statutory Guidance (Domestic Abuse Bill / Act) of the word “vast” to describe the difference in the numbers of women and men perpetrating domestic abuse. The Statutory Guidance stated “Domestic abuse most commonly takes place in intimate partner relationships. The vast majority is perpetrated by men against women…” The Office for Statistics Regulation decision was to support the ManKind Initiative complaint and therefore not allow the Home Office to use the word in the description.

August 2020: Kent Musician, Clive Lever, composes fundraising song to help male victims of domestic abuse recognise they’re not alone

July 2020: The Shadows Within the Shadow Pandemic: The Rise of Domestic Violence in Lockdown – are some in a greater quarantine? by Maryam Syed, barrister at 7BR

July 2020: “Over 50 women close to male victims and survivors of domestic abuse call on MP’s to make sure their voices are not ignored and marginalised.”

July 2020: Domestic abuse study shows men less likely to be perceived as victims than women

June 2020: ManKind Initiative delighted to coordinate Train to Safety scheme run by Rail Delivery Group

March 2020: New Domestic Abuse Bill – An Opportunity For A More Inclusive and 21st Century Approach To Support Male Victims of Domestic Abuse

February 2020: Statement on Crown Prosecution Service handling of the prosecution of Ms Caroline Flack

June 2019:Parliamentary Report on Domestic Abuse Bill will have the effect of treating male victims of domestic abuse (and their children) as second class

March 2019: Charity supports landmark Government statement on male victims of domestic abuse and related intimate violence crimes

February 2019: Why Abused By My Girlfriend was a watershed moment for male victims of domestic abuse and society

December 2018: Chair of the ManKind Initiative receives OBE, in tribute to the work of the charity, its staff, volunteers, fundraisers, donors, survivors and victims

October 2018: ManKind Initiative raises concern that Home Affairs Committee view on domestic abuse will marginalise male victims

September 2018: Statement about Celebrity Big Brother (Roxanne Pallett / Ryan Thomas)

August 2018: Domestic Homicide Review (Chorley Council) – David Edwards

Published Domestic Homicide Review (David Edwards)

May 2018: Statement on Outcome of Mark van Dongen case

April 2018: ManKind Initiative supports Alex Skeel’s in his call for men to get help and believe they can escape

April 2018: Landmark Jordan Worth domestic abuse prosecution shows how men are victims of controlling and coercive behaviour too

March 2018: New domestic abuse law must lead to a more inclusive approach with greater recognition and more services for male victims

February 2018: ManKind Initiative hails Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service for opening new refuge

February 2018: New domestic abuse Sentencing Guidelines welcomed especially on gender stereotypes and court orders

September 2017: Fear that Lavinia Woodward sentence reinforces society’s view of male victims of domestic abuse as less than equal

September 2017: Charity hails Crown Prosecution Service public statement as landmark moment for male victims of domestic abuse

August 2017: Letter to Sarah Newton MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: Intimate Violence against Men and Boys: Crime Classification and Strategy

June 2017 – New Domestic Violence and Abuse Commissioner has to believe in an inclusive approach (Telegraph online)

May 2017: Domestic Violence Commissioner must give equal recognition and support to male victims of domestic abuse

May 2017: Judge out of touch on Lavinia Woodward case

May 2017: Charity calls on BBC and producers to apologise and delete the ‘Mammy of the Week’ from All Round Mrs Brown’s episode

February 2017: New Domestic Violence and Abuse Act must lead to full and equal recognition for male victims

February 2017: No London Refuges for Men and Bromley Council’s Contract

ManKind Initiative and male victims in the news

Twitter:

@mankindinit

ManKind #violenceisviolence Video:

Watch Sky News Reviewers think a man being stabbed can be treated as funny and also watch Jeremy Kyle admonish his audience.

Older Press Releases

Media Coverage of Male Victims of Domestic Abuse (2007 to 27 Oct 2024)

August 2017: Letter to Sarah Newton MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State: Intimate Violence against Men and Boys: Crime Classification and Strategy

June 2017: New Domestic Violence and Abuse Commissioner has to believe in an inclusive approach (Telegraph online)

May 2017: Domestic Violence Commissioner must give equal recognition and support to male victims of domestic abuse

May 2017: Judge out of touch on Lavinia Woodward case

May 2017: Charity calls on BBC and producers to apologise and delete the ‘Mammy of the Week’ from All Round Mrs Brown’s episode

February 2017: New Domestic Violence and Abuse Act must lead to full and equal recognition for male victims

February 2017: No London Refuges for Men and Bromley Council’s Contract

October 2016: Peter Hook’s domestic abuse revelations will help more men come forward and change society’s attitudes

August 2016: “Real Men Do Cry” Documentary Launched by the ManKind Initiative Highlights the Physical and Mental Effects of Domestic Abuse on Male Victims

August 2016: ManKind Initiative opens new drop-in service for male victims in Taunton

August 2016: ManKind Initiative joins the UK SAYS NO MORE campaign

May 2016: Lancashire’s male victims of domestic abuse

March 2016: David Edwards

December 2015: New Law (Serious Crime Act 2015) Heralds New Era Where Domestic Abuse No Longer Needs To Be Seen To Be Believed.

October 2015: Statement on the future of the ManKind Initiative helpline

July 2015: ManKind sign letter to Director of Public Prosecutions

September 2014: ManKind criticises lack of criticism of Kelly Brook

May 2014: #ViolenceisViolence Video Launched

May 2013: Soap Awards winner Coronation Street thanked by Charity

August 2012 – More needs to be done to help men come forward

May 2012 – Charity welcomes Corrie’s domestic abuse storyline.

February 2012 – Authorities must do more to help male victims come forward

October 2011: Humberside_final

7 January 2011: Welsh Equalities Commission’s domestic abuse campaign shows it is sitting on its hands when it comes to male victims

14 October 2010: How can their be Justice for all Victims when a Judge calls a Male Victim Weak

16th July 2010: The media’s invisible men: domestic abuse victims

7 December 2007: Superdrug slammed for selling male punchbag

Older Statistics

70 Key Facts about Male Victims of Domestic Abuse and Partner Abuse (April 2023)

55 Key Facts about Male Victims of Domestic Abuse and Partner Abuse (April 2021)

50 Key Facts about Male Victims of Domestic Abuse and Partner Abuse (March 2020)