An estimated 1.5 million men experienced domestic abuse last year. There are around 429 refuge spaces.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that in the year ending March 2025, 1.5 million men aged 16 and over in England and Wales experienced domestic abuse, a prevalence rate of 6.5%. The equivalent figures for women were 2.2 million and 9.1%.

Both of those numbers should be stated together, because the argument this article is making does not depend on minimising either. Domestic abuse is more prevalent among women and the majority of police-recorded victims are women. Male victims were 27.9% of domestic abuse crimes recorded by police over the same period, which is a substantial minority of a very large number.

What provision exists

As of September 2025 the ManKind Initiative counted 59 organisations providing 429 refuge or safe accommodation spaces available to men across the UK. Of those, 130 were dedicated to men and 299 were available to men or women, and the total is heavily influenced by a single organisation providing 46 dedicated spaces.

Earlier counts were worse. A ManKind briefing recorded 204 bed spaces across 37 organisations, of which only 40 were dedicated for men, with several regions having none at all.

SafeLives data indicates that 4.4% of victims supported by local domestic abuse services are men.

Why men do not report

The ManKind Initiative reports that 67% of the men who call its helpline have never spoken to anyone before about the abuse they are experiencing, and that 64% would not have called at all if the line were not anonymous.

Of those callers, 99% describe psychological and emotional abuse, 89% coercive controlling behaviour, 62% physical abuse and 32% economic abuse.

Two thirds of the men who ring the only national helpline for male victims have never told another person.

Where this connects to the family court

A man who has not reported abuse has no evidence of it, and evidence of domestic abuse is what opens the door to legal aid and what shapes how the court approaches contact. A man who has experienced coercive control but never told anybody arrives in proceedings with nothing to show, frequently opposite a party who does have documentation.

That is not an argument that the documentation is false. It is an observation that a system which routes support and funding through evidence will systematically underserve the group least likely to have produced any.

If this is happening to you

The ManKind Initiative runs a confidential national helpline on 0808 800 1170. Respect operates the Men’s Advice Line on 0808 8010 327. Galop supports LGBT+ victims. If you are in immediate danger the answer is 999, and if you cannot speak, dial 55 after the call connects.