Barriers for Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence to Seek and to Find Help: An Anonymous Online Survey from Germany

The latest crime statistics from Germany show that nearly 21% of police reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) were made by men. There were a total of 34,899 male victims, which means that almost 100 men are victims of IPV every day in Germany. The results of an anonymous mixed-method online survey of 141 German men who experience (or had experienced) IPV in their relationships to women are reported. The results support the fact that men can experience multiple violence in relationships by their partners, most pronounced by psychological violence (e.g. insults), followed by physical violence (e.g. blows) and to a smaller amount by sexual violence (e.g. forced to intercourse). Triggers were everyday situations like dispute or stress. Battered men show inhibiting feelings and thoughts, which prevent them to out their violent experiences. Among these are the beliefs that counseling centers and the police could not help them and that they couldn’t win in court. Instead, they prefer to react with distancing and escaping or trying to tolerate and accept their traumatic experiences. If they confide in others, with the exception of friends, all persons showed more rejecting than supporting reactions. For aid organizations like social work, a number of participants indicated that such counseling offers for men in Germany “do not exist” or “are not known”. Implications for social work practice, education and research are discussed and suggestions are offered to improve the situation.