Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to encourage male victims of domestic abuse to seek support and report that abuse to the police.

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 in recognition that around one third of domestic abuse victims are male. 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 2016/18 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 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. A copy of the statement can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-unveils-commitments-to-tackle-abuse-against-men

Specific advice has been published on gov.uk for domestic abuse victims during COVID-19 directing them to a range of specialist organisations, including those supporting male victims.

We launched the Ask for ANI Codeword Scheme in January, in which 5,000 pharmacies are now participating. This scheme has already helped victims flee abuse, including male victims.