Male Victims of Violence
Last updated May 12, 2023
One in 16 men have experienced physical or sexual abuse by a current or former partner and one in six men have experienced emotional abuse by a current or former partner.*
Referring to Specialist Support
If GPs identify any male victims and want to connect them with support, they should email saferpathway@justice.nsw.gov.au with the DFV Action Plan attached.
Please consider password protecting the DFV Action Plan document and sending the password separately in an additional email to the same mailbox.
This inbox is monitored daily by the Safer Pathway DCJ team who will refer it out to the correct support service (based on where the victim lives). The same conditions around consent apply for male referrals.
Supporting Disclosure
Male victim/survivors of DFV may face barriers to disclosure, due to:
- Social expectations and understandings of gender roles and masculinity
- Personal feelings of shame and concerns about the impact of disclosure on perceptions of identity
- Financial and interpersonal barriers to accessing support services (Donne, et al., 2018)
General practitioners can support male victim/survivors of DFV to disclose their experience and access supports by:
- Establishing a good rapport with male patients including taking an interest in their home life and relationships
- Highlighting the important role of consent in relationships and that men have the right to withhold and withdraw consent
- Understanding that some men may not consider their experience to be abuse or violence
- Asserting that men can be victim/survivors of DFV
- Ensuring the patient understands abuse and violence it is never the fault of the victim/survivor
- Recognising that men that engage in male-to-male sexual relationships may face additional barriers to disclosure
- Identifying and recommending services that specialise in working with men who experience DFV
Where a practitioner suspects a man may be experiencing domestic and family abuse or violence, they can apply the same approach. If unsure if your patient is the primary victim, please contact other services for further support.
Contacts
Men’s Line Australia
Telephone and online counselling service offering support for men, including those who use or are impacted by DFV.
1800 Respect
Support and referrals for anyone impacted by DFV, including victim/survivors, perpetrators, support people, and professionals.
Family Advocacy & Support Service (FASS)
Support service from Relationships NSW for male victims and perpetrators of domestic or family violence who are preparing to go to Family Court, at Family Court, or have recently had a Family Court matter finalised. Also assists men who have a family law or Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders (ADVO) issue and require assistance. Service also extends to people indirectly affected by family violence, such as extended family, grandparents and new partners experiencing DFV.
References
- *Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) (2021) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) (2017),
- Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Personal Safety, Australia: Statistics for family, domestic, sexual violence, physical assault, partner emotional abuse, child abuse, sexual harassment, stalking and safety.
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2021). Family, domestic and sexual violence data in Australia. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/domestic-violence/family-domestic-sexual-violence-data
- Donne, M. D., Deluca, J., Pleskach, P., Bromson, C., Mosley, M. P., Perez, E. T., . . . Frye, V. (2018). Barriers to and Facilitators of Help-Seeking Behavior Among Men Who Experience Sexual Violence. American Journal of Men’s Health, 118-201.