"Independent" informiert über desolate Situation für männliche Opfer häuslicher Gewalt

More married men (2.3 per cent) suffered from partner abuse last year than married women, according to the latest British Crime Survey. Yet help is still much harder to find for men.

Das berichtete bereits vor 14 Tagen der britische "Independent", der auch auf die desolate Situation aufmerksam macht, in der sich männliche Opfer häuslicher Gewalt befinden:

There are 78 spaces which can be used by men in refuges around Britain, of which only 33 are dedicated rooms for males: the rest can be taken by victims of either gender. This compares with around 4,000 spaces for women. In Northern Ireland and Scotland there are no male refuges at all.

Auch in Großbritannien gibt es Männerrechtler, die sich dieses Problems annehmen:

Mark Brooks, chairman of the men's domestic abuse charity, the Mankind Initiative, said: "Support services for male victims remain decades behind those for women. This is not helped by the Government and others having a violence against women and girls strategy without having an equivalent for men. Everybody sees domestic violence victims as being female rather than male. This is one of Britain's last great taboos."

The Mankind Initiative helpline receives 1,200 calls a year from men or friends and family calling on behalf of men. Stigma and fear of being disbelieved, among other factors, make men much less likely than women to report abuse to the police. The British Crime Survey found that only 10 per cent of male victims of domestic violence had told the police, compared with 29 per cent of women. More than a quarter of male victims tell no one what has happened to them, compared with 13 per cent of women.

Und auch von Fachleuten gibt es klare Worte:

Nicola Graham-Kevan, an expert in partner violence at Central Lancashire University, said: "Society is blind to women's aggression. The biggest disparity is women's ability to seek help which makes men very vulnerable to false allegations. People often won't believe that men are victims. Men have to be seen as passive, obvious victims with clear injuries, whereas, if a woman makes allegations, they are believed much more easily."

Dr Graham-Kevan believes the system needs to adjust to make it safer for male victims and their children, who can end up with an abusive mother. "The biggest thing for me as a parent is that children are being placed in significant positions of harm. It sounds anti-feminist, but I think we're allowing women too many rights in the family court, because courts assume that the women are the best parent as a starting position, rather than looking at it equally."

Immerhin ist die britische Geschlechterpolitik hier einige Schritte weiter als die deutsche (was nicht schwierig ist):

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We recognise that men are victims of domestic violence, too, and they deserve protection. In December 2011, the Home Office set up the Male Victims Fund to support front-line organisations working with male victims of sexual and domestic violence. We also fund the Male Advice (and Inquiry) Line."

Vergleichbare Hilfestellungen für männliche Opfer häuslicher Gewalt gibt es in Deutschland nicht.