One in three victims of domestic abuse in NI is male, new statistics reveal
32% of domestic abuse crime in Northern Ireland happens to men
Last updated 25th May 2023
One in three victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland will be male, a charity has said.
The figure has been presented today as part of the first male domestic abuse conference held in Belfast.
Covering everything from coercive control to hidden victims, today’s event at the Europa Hotel breaks down the prevalence of domestic abuse among men here.
Organised by the Men’s Advisory Project NI — a non-government-funded charity supporting men living with and recovering from domestic abuse — the event entitled ‘Examining the experiences of men who face domestic abuse in NI’, will detail that one in three men here will be the victim of domestic abuse and partner violence crime, while five out of nine victims of domestic homicide in NI recently were male.
The conference will be attended by professionals from the health and social care industries, the Ministry of Defence, Probation Board NI, the Public Prosecution Service and those who work with and refer victims of male domestic abuse to the Men’s Advisory Project.
Guests will hear from a range of speakers including Rhonda Lusty, CEO of Men’s Advisory Project NI, Dr Maz Idriss, an expert on honour-based abuse and forced marriage, and Dr Elizabeth Bates, a leading researcher on the experiences of men experiencing domestic abuse, violence and control. Dr Anne Marks, an independent Domestic Homicide Review chair who has presided over reviews into cases where men have lost their lives to domestic abuse in Northern Ireland, will also be in attendance.
Rhonda Lusty, CEO of Men’s Advisory Project NI (MAP NI), said: “We are pleased to host the inaugural Men’s Advisory Project NI conference which we hope will kickstart a profound shift in how we think and what we know about male domestic violence."
“MAP NI has been operating for 25 years supporting victims, yet there is still a collective unawareness of how prevalent male domestic abuse is."
“For example, whilst we quote PSNI statistics, the PSNI were made aware of just under half of all ‘worst’ cases of domestic abuse (45.7%) in the past year, meaning they were unaware of the experiences of just over half of victims (54.3%). When you consider that male victims are more reluctant to report domestic abuse incidents, it tells us there are a lot more men that need our support than those we are currently helping.”
Ms Lusty continues: “The Men’s Advisory Project NI is the only specialist domestic abuse agency supporting any male victim of domestic abuse, offering confidential 1-2-1 and therapeutic support across Northern Ireland. We work closely with the PSNI which makes direct referrals to the charity every day, yet we remain in a position of sourcing 100% of our own funding. "
“That funding goes towards confidential counselling and support, advocating for male victims at all levels of government, cooperating with other agencies, promoting research and encouraging perpetrators of domestic violence, male or female to get support, effectively creating a more harmonious society."
“We hope this conference will confront our wide-ranging array of objectives head-on and allow us to continue the work we’ve carried out over the past 25 years.”
The Men’s Advisory Project NI provides confidential information, counselling and emotional support to victims of domestic abuse.
For further information visit its social media pages or call the Belfast office on 02890 241 929, the Foyle office on 02871 160 001 or email rhonda@mapni.co.uk