Huddersfied men victims of domestic violence

Feb 12 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

HOME Secretary Jacqui Smith announced this week an extra £3.5m for use in the battle against domestic violence.

The cash will be put to ensuring the future of helplines and producing a leaflet to help family and friends of victims to identify the abuse and support those who suffer from it.

This ties in with the appointment last month of Sara Payne as the ‘Victims’ Champion’.

Sara’s child Sarahwas murdered by paedophile Roy Whiting in 2000.

She said this week: “Over the last eight years I have been asking for victims to have a louder voice and for the Government to listen more closely to what they have to say.

“I am proud I will now be their champion and welcome my appointment to this very important role.

“I look forward to bringing the voice of victims and witnesses to the heart of Government.”

Hopefully her work will reach into domestic violence – and one area of that tragedy that as yet remains shrouded in statistical mystery is violence in the home against men.

It’s inevitable that domestic violence directed by men against women should predominate.

No matter how balanced and gender-correct we might try to be, every published figure for violence in the home shows that more men abuse women than vice versa.

There can be no denying that males are generally physically stronger than females and are hormonally more inclined to seek physical outlets for their anger and frustration.

But the British Crime Survey, now in its seventh consecutive year of publication, repeatedly notes that men are also victims.

The 2007/08 survey recorded that while one in four women suffers from domestic violence, one in six men are victims.