Violence Against Men - Statistics

 

Violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence against men should not be taboo subjects but they are. We want to create an open discussion so that men can avoid becoming victims and seek support for their trauma.

This blog explores the state of violence against men today, provides links to support and introduces our online course ‘Self Defence for Men’.

Guys, we need to talk… It’s ok to have fears about your safety, it’s ok to admit you’ve been assaulted and it’s ok to ask for help.

 
Violence against men, statistics, Man on his own in grey hat in mist
 

BREAKING THE STIGMA OF SHAME

Where are we now

The statistics in this blog are for the UK; other countries will have statistics and trends that vary. But what remains the same - and this is the point of us sharing these figures - is the hidden problem of violence against men.

Many men feel shame, embarrassment and humiliation after they have been attacked, especially if it was a sexual assault or rape. Common thoughts after an attack are that:

  • “I should have been able to defend myself”

  • “I should have stopped it”

  • “I should have reacted differently”

  • “I should have been stronger”

These negative and shameful thoughts add to the trauma of the individual and prevent emotional healing.

 

It is important to know that you are not to blame and the only person who should feel shame is the perpetrator of the crime.

 

As a result of these emotions and the taboo attached to this subject, people hide what has happened to them from friends and family. And many crimes go unreported.

It is estimated that only 1 in 6 sexual offences are reported to police.

 

creating An open discussion

We believe that to break the stigma and create change for male victims of violence, we need an open discussion and more support.

  1. Let’s be honest about what is really happening in our society.

  2. Let’s support victims to become survivors

  3. Let’s educate men on how to avoid becoming a victim and how to defend themselves if they need to.

 
speech bubble neon
 

PART 1 - AN HONEST LOOK AT SOCIETY

The statistics we share below are not meant to shock you (although they did shock us).

Their purpose is to show that these crimes are taking place regularly and that if you are a victim of violence you are not alone.

*Please bear in mind that the real figures will be much higher as these are the offences that were reported.

These figures are for one year only in England and Wales.

 

Sexual assault against men - statistics

In the year ending March 2022 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW):

  • 275,000 men were victims of sexual assault (1 in 100 men)

  • A higher proportion of adults aged 16 to 24 years were victims of sexual assault compared with those aged 25 years and over

  • A higher proportion of full-time students were victims of sexual assault than those in any other occupation type


In the year ending March 2020 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW):

  • 12,000 men were raped.

Sexual assault - LGBTQ+ people

In the 2023 report into sexual violence against LGBT+ people by GALOP, their survey of 1000 people found that since the age of 18:

  • 77% of LGBT+ people had experienced sexual assault.

Sexual assault - disabled people

In the three years ending March 2018

  • Disabled men aged 16-59 (1.1%) were more likely to have experienced sexual assault and attempted sexual assault than non- disabled men of the same age (0.8%).

Child sexual abuse

The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse estimates that at least 5% of boys experience child sexual abuse before the age of 16.

The majority of child sexual abuse is hidden; never reported or uncovered by an official agency.

 

Domestic abuse against men - statistics

In the year ending March 2020 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW):

  • 757,000 men were the victims of domestic abuse

  • This equates to 3.6% of men in England and Wales

  • One in three victims of domestic abuse is male.

Domestic abuse - Gay and bisexual men

The CSEW for year ending March 2020 highlights that:

  • Gay and bisexual men were around twice as likely to experience domestic abuse as heterosexual men

  • 6% of gay men and 7.3% of bisexual men aged 16 to 74 reported experiencing domestic abuse in the previous year

  • This compares to 3.5% of heterosexual men.

Domestic abuse - ethnic groups

The CSEW for year ending March 2020 finds that similar to overall trends in domestic abuse, men from mixed or ‘other’ ethnic groups are more likely to report being a victim of domestic abuse:

  • 6.1% of those in ‘other ethnic groups’ reported domestic abuse

  • 5.9% of those in the mixed ethnic group reported domestic abuse

  • The prevalence for all males was 3.6%

Domestic abuse - disabled people

The CSEW for years ending March 2020 found that disabled people (both men and women) are more likely to be subject to domestic abuse:

  • Disabled men are over twice as likely to report experiencing domestic abuse (7.5%) than non-disabled men (3.2%).

 

Male victims of stalking - statistics

In the year ending March 2020 Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW):

  • 526,000 men were victims of stalking.

 

Sexual harassment against men - statistics

In the UK Government Equalities Office’s Sexual Harassment Survey 2020:

  • 34% of men reported that they had experienced at least one form of sexual harassment in the last 12 months

  • In the workplace, men were almost as likely to experience workplace harassment as women (the incidence of experiencing harassment was 30% among women and 27% among men).

Sexual harassment - LGBTQ+ people

In the 2023 report into sexual violence against LGBT+ people by GALOP, their survey of 1000 people found that since the age of 18:

  • 88% of LGBT+ people had experienced sexual harassment.

 

PART 2 - SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS

If you have experienced abuse, assault or sexual violence, we hope that you will seek out support.

It’s never too late to get support and deal with the trauma you have suffered.

White feather on grey background

On our ‘Support’ page we offer links to many different organisations that can help you - both in the UK and the US.

If you are in a different country and can’t find support, many of the sources we link to have written advice that can act as a starting point for you.

 

PART 3 - EDUCATION - HOW TO AVOID VIOLENCE AND DEFEND YOURSELF

Sometimes, men are reluctant to sign up to ‘self defence classes’ as they feel that this might suggest they aren’t ‘manly’ enough. They think that they should just know what to do and be strong enough to defend themselves.

This couldn’t be further from the truth!

We all need to learn how to protect ourselves - even if you are a blackbelt in martial arts!

In real life, there are no rules, violence is vicious and you need to know:

  1. How to avoid dangerous situations

  2. How to make yourself an undesirable target for predators

  3. How to defend yourself physically as a last resort.

We teach all of this, and more, in our online course.

MEN’S SELF DEFENCE - ONLINE COURSE

We have taught personal safety, violence prevention and self defence to thousands and men and boys.

Our knowledge and techniques have been pressure-tested in the real world by lead instructor Dene Josham’s 20+ year career providing private security in hostile environments and bodyguarding some of the world’s most famous people.

And, we have distilled our learning into our comprehensive online course 'Self Defence for Men'.

Our men’s self defence course is your safe space to learn about personal safety, violence prevention and self defence.

The pre-recorded video course can be completed in your own home, and includes:

  • Awareness and avoidance tips

  • How to become a hard target

  • Analysis of real-life attacks to learn what to do and what NOT to do

  • How to deal with adrenaline

  • Getting the right mindset

  • Survivors' stories

  • Demonstrations of the physical techniques you need to defend yourself - these work for people of all ages and abilities.

To find out more take a look at ‘Self Defence for Men’ or enquire about private training for your business, school, gym or community group.