A FAMILY lawyer specialising in cases of domestic abuse has reported a “noticeable rise” in the numbers of male victims.
It follows the release of figures from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), revealing convictions for women committing domestic violence against men in England and Wales have more than doubled in the past five years.
Almost 4,000 women were successfully prosecuted in the past year, compared with 1,500 women in 2005 – an increase of 169%.
Helen Oakes, a family lawyer from Liverpool firm Maxwell Hodge and chair of the Zero Centre, a domestic abuse drop-in centre in Wirral, said: “Both in my work in the Zero Centre and as a family law specialist, I have seen a noticeable rise in men reporting they were victims of domestic violence. This represents the tip of the iceberg because, in my experience, men are often too ashamed to report abuse.”
The figures still show women are usually the victims of domestic violence, with more than 55,000 men prosecuted in 2010, compared with more than 28,700 five years earlier.
But Ms Oakes said the rise in men reporting abuse was encouraging, adding: “These figures show men are now more willing to report they were victims of domestic violence and this is being taken seriously by the police.
“The majority of the conviction rates will be for serious acts of abuse, but this often overlooks the day-to-day domestic violence which, during my divorce work, I have seen reported by men and women.
“This can range from physical assaults using weapons to punching, kicking and biting, as well as extreme verbal abuse. The difference, however, is that men often do not report these acts because they are considered to be the stronger sex and therefore it would be a massive step for a man to complain he was suffering from abuse.
“It should not matter what sex the perpetrator is in a domestic abuse case. The victim should be able to report the abuse and have it taken seriously.
“All abuse involves control and exerting power over the other person. Nothing will change if we continue to view domestic abuse as men as perpetrators and women as the victims.”
A CPS spokesman denied there was any bias or lack of concern when dealing with cases involving male victims.
He added: “The pernicious nature of the offending remains the same regardless of gender.”
