A charity offering advice to men suffering at the hands of violent and abusive partners this week expressed shock at the lack of support for victims in the Tayside area.
Alison Waugh, co-founder of Abused Men in Scotland (AMIS), believes more should be done to highlight the growing problem of domestic abuse against men after the lack of specific support for male victims was highlighted at a recent meeting of the Tayside Joint Police Board.
The Dunfermline-based organisation believes more should be done at a local level to encourage men to seek help. Although acknowledging females remain the victim in the majority of domestic abuse cases, Mrs Waugh believes not enough emphasis is placed upon men who are subjected to physical and verbal assaults.
She told The Courier, “As a woman I am shocked. I believe in equality and we should not be putting one gender in front of another. I think we need more balance.”
Figures produced at this week’s meeting of the Tayside Joint Police Board show that to date there have been 522 cases of domestic abuse within the force area.
Statistics published by AMIS following a freedom of information request showed that in 2009 there were 777 instances of domestic abuse against men in Tayside last year and just under 600 in Fife.
There was some surprise among the members of Tayside Joint Police Board on Monday when it was claimed no specific support services exist for male victims. Though only founded in October, AMIS has dealt with dozens of men requiring support dealing with an abusive partner, and Mrs Waugh believes there are still significant cultural problems involved.
“We’ve had 40 years of women being encouraged to come forward,” she said. “Men still don’t even acknowledge to themselves that it’s abuse let alone tell anyone else.
“They have just thought that it was a bad relationship and don’t think that they can do anything about it. I think that’s really damaging for society.”
Urging any men suffering to come forward and seek assistance, Mrs Waugh said, “There are not enough actual services for men, but lots of services for women.
“Lots of men think that they are the only one, but just being able to talk on the phone can help so much.”Men suffering from domestic abuse issues can visit www.abusedmeninscotland.org or access the AMIS helpline on 01383 624411.