UK: Male abuse is 'being ignored'

Story here. Excerpt:

'Men in their early 20s are just as likely to be abused by their partners as women, according to the latest government figures seen by Newsbeat.

6.4% of men in England and Wales between the ages of 20 and 24 say they were victims over the last year, compared with 5.4% of women.

The official definition of partner abuse includes non-physical forms like emotional bullying.

It also means more serious behaviour like threats and severe force.

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Mark Brooks from the men's health charity Mankind reckons the issue of male domestic abuse is often ignored by the government, social services and the police.
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Kevin Edgar from Masa, which operates a helpline for abused men, says blokes can be slow to come forward and recognise the problem.
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"More and more men will come forward when they realise they are not the only ones being abused."
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12% of all recorded incidents involved a male victim and female perpetrator up from 8% in 2000/1 although campaigners say that figure underestimates the scale of the problem as men are less likely to file an official police report than women.
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On Tuesday Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced a £3.5m package to help victims of domestic abuse.

The money will be used to safeguard the future of helplines and provide leaflets which will help families and friends of victims to identify and support them.'