In the UK, in 2026, every single man or boy who experiences domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking, online harms, or similar crimes; is legally categorised as a ‘male victim of violence against a woman’. Read that again – ‘a male victim of violence against women.’ It is truly absurd, and it’s not just semantics. Such classification means these abused men are made invisible, not given taylored care, or gender sensitive support; quite literally left out of appropriate services, to fend for themselves. Neither are these invisible men of a small number. In fact, 1.5 MILLION men experienced domestic abuse in England and Wales, with many more in other parts of the UK, similarly erased from the discussion. So we don’t see male victims spoken about in the media, in policy, within the news, online, or in Westminster. And too often, when such men are talked about, it is sneered at, mocked, or snuffed out by those who wave these men away as insignificant, or as secret abusers themselves. We do all this, and then ask ourselves: do so few abused men ask for help? Gaslighting literal victims of abuse, in lieu of our own political incompetence. So I ask – If the world and society at large refuses to recognise abuse against men in such a way, then why would these men recognise it themselves? In my new podcast I discuss this very issue with one of the most influential men in the area of male victims of abuse: veteran campaigner Mark Brooks OBE, who is the Chair of Mankind; the UK’s premier service supporting abused men… So why do abused men so rarely ask for help? What do you think? New podcast with award-winning policy advisor for men and boys Mark Brooks out now!

2026-07-31