Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of providing funding to male domestic violence victim service providers.

This Government is committed to protecting and supporting all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of gender. That is why we recently passed the landmark Domestic Abuse Act, which includes a new definition of domestic abuse. Additionally, the Statutory Guidance that will accompany the Act will address the impact on male victims and their unique needs and barriers to accessing support. We will be publishing this guidance for consultation shortly.

Since 2017/18 the Home Office has provided funding of over £160,000 per year to the Men’s Advice Line run by Respect which supports and advises male victims of domestic abuse. Additional funding of £151,000 was provided to further bolster the helpline during the pandemic. In addition, The Home Office has provided approximately £365,000 from 2018 to 2020 to Hestia to improve support for male victims of domestic abuse.

In March 2019 the Home Office published the Male Victims Position Statement which sets out 12 specific commitments to better enable male victims and survivors to come forward and receive necessary support, and to tackle offenders. This will be refreshed later this year following the publication of the Violence against Women and Girls and Domestic Abuse Strategies.