Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support male victims of domestic abuse.

The Home Office is undertaking ambitious work to support all victims of Domestic Abuse, including male victims.

Since 2017/18 the Home Office has provided funding of £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 earlier this year from the funding announced by the Home Secretary on April 11 in response to COVID-19 pressures.

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

More widely the Government announced £76 million for charities supporting victims of domestic and sexual abuse, amongst others.

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. The information also makes clear that stay at home orders do not apply where any victim needs to leave home to seek help if they are in danger of domestic abuse.

In April the Home Secretary launched a domestic abuse campaign, #YouAreNotAlone, to raise general awareness of domestic abuse during COVID-19 and signpost the support and advice available.

Our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill will help all victims to have the confidence to report their experiences, knowing they will be properly supported, and perpetrators brought to justice.

In the meantime, we are continuing to work closely with domestic abuse organisations, including male victim organisations, to assess ongoing trends and needs and to help support them through the period of new measures, building on the progress to date.