Men in their 20s are increasingly becoming victims of abuse

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.

'Women more likely'

Overall women are more likely to be abused in general and to be the victims of stronger physical violence.

Across all age ranges, one in four women have been abused compared with one in six men.

But analysis of the latest figures from the Home Office shows the problem is more evenly spread between the sexes in the early stages of a young relationship

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.

"In the UK as a whole there are 500 refuges for female victims and that is probably not enough," he told Newsbeat.

"There are only 12 for male victims. Overall services for men are 35 years behind those available for women and that's simply not good enough."

Women are still more likely to be repeatedly abused in the home than men and to be physically harmed.

The latest Home Office figures for 2007/8 show 2.2% of women of any age said their partner used minor or severe force against them over the last year. The figure for men was slightly lower at 2.0%.

Tuesday, 10 February 2009