Domestic violence against men in Northern Ireland has risen by more than 40% in the past nine years according to a report in the Belfast Telegraph.

Since records began in 2004/5, there has been a 41% increase in reported domestic violence offences against men aged 18 and over, compared with a rise of 9% for women in the same period.

In recent years there has been a growing awareness that men are the hidden victims of domestic violence.

Research spanning over 40 years has consistently found that women are just as likely to perpetrate domestic violence as men. The key difference is that women are more likely to be injured or killed.

Yet men still represent a substantial proportion of victims who are assaulted (50%), injured (30%) or killed (25%) during a violent attack by an intimate partner, according to leading experts.

Despite the dramatic rise in men reporting in Northern Ireland, they still account for just 9% of reported incidents which suggests that many male victims are still suffering in silence.

Research shows that male victims of domestic violence are less likely to get the help and support they need. Men are twice as likely to tell no-one about the violence and are far less likely to see their abusive partner brought to justice.

Peter Morris of  Men’s Aid Northern Ireland said:

“We know there are many men in Northern Ireland who are living in fear of their partners and we want them to know there is help out there.

“Shame is a major factor for male victims. It’s why a lot of them don’t come forward and don’t want to talk about it.

“Men are also reluctant to seek help because they think to do so may imply they are weak and not masculine. On top of all that, there’s a lack of support agencies for men and difficult for these organisations to get funding.”

Photo Credit: Flickr/Stingrays