Men Can Be Abused, Too

When you think of a domestic violence survivor, who comes to mind? For most people, it’s a female. And rightfully so since three-quarters of domestic violence victims are women. However, hundreds of thousands of men experience domestic violence each year, too.

Data from the National Crime Victimization Study between 2003 and 2012 show that men account for about 24 percent of domestic violence survivors. Domestic violence against men is real and takes just as many forms as domestic violence against women—physical, sexual, reproductive, financial, emotional and psychological.

Here are 10 more facts to know about domestic violence against men:

• About 1 in 7 men ages 18 and older have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner.
• Almost half (48.8 percent) of all men have dealt with some sort of psychological aggression by an intimate partner. This number is equal to women at 48.4 percent.
• Nearly 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner to the point they were scared for their life or safety or the lives or safety of loved ones.
• Of rapes on men that were committed by someone known to the survivor, about 29 percent were by an intimate partner.
• Men are the victims in about 6 percent of cases of murder-suicide in which the offender is an intimate partner.
• An estimated 10.4 percent or approximately 11.7 million men in the U.S. have reported having an intimate partner get or attempt to get pregnant when the male partner didn’t agree to it.
• The average cost for men seeking emergency care following an attack by an intimate partner is $387.
• About 2 in 5 gay and bisexual men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime.
• Nearly 8 percent of males who’ve reported domestic violence have been shot at, stabbed or hit with a weapon.
• An estimated 5 percent of male homicide victims annually are killed by an intimate partner.

Domestic violence—whether against women or men—often goes unreported. Men in particular may decide not to report violence by an intimate partner to law enforcement for fear of being labeled the instigator or not believed. No instance of domestic violence is justified. Whether you’re male or female, it’s never your fault. If you are dealing with domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233).