Intimate Partner Violence among Males in Germany – Prevalence and Consequences

• In Event: Intimate partner violence

Abstract

Research often focuses on female victims of intimate partner violence and the development of support measures for this group. Yet, according to German police crime statistics, 21% of victims of intimate partner violence in 2022 are male. The crime statistics only shed light on cases that have come to the attention of the police - but what is the number of unreported cases of male victims who have experienced intimate partner violence? A study conducted by the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (KFN) addresses this question. From October 2022 to January 2023, the KFN conducted a representative online survey and queried both lifetime and 12-month prevalence of various forms of psychological, physical, sexual, and digital violence. Based on the sample of 1,200 men aged 16 to 69, this paper will present not only the exposure to intimate partner violence but also the consequences, such as emotional and physical consequences and also actions regarding the relationship. Results suggest that just under one in two people has experienced at least one form of intimate partner violence. Of those, one-third has experienced it in the past 12 months. The most commonly experienced violence by participants was psychological violence, with 4 out of 10 experiencing at least one form in their lifetime. Two thirds of those affected by violence suffer consequences, more specifically 11% physical and 66% emotional consequences.

Author

• Laura-Romina Goede, Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony