About two in five of all victims of domestic violence are men, contradicting the widespread impression that it is almost always women who are left battered, a new report claims.
Men assaulted by their partners are often ignored by police, see their attacker go free and have far fewer
refuges to flee to than women, says a study by the men's rights campaign group Parity.
The charity's analysis of statistics on domestic violence shows the number of men attacked by wives or girlfriends is much higher than thought. Its report, Domestic Violence: The Male Perspective, states: "Domestic violence is often seen as a female victim/male perpetrator problem, but the evidence demonstrates that this is a false picture."
Data from Home Office statistical bulletins and the British Crime Survey show that men made up about 40% of domestic violence victims each year between 2004-05 and 2008-09, the last year for which figures are available.
"Male victims are almost invisible to the authorities such as the police, who rarely can be prevailed upon to take the man's side," said John Mays of Parity.