Plea for refuge for male victims of domestic violence in Northern Ireland

A group supporting male victims and survivors of domestic violence has said there is an urgent need for funding for a refuge in Northern Ireland to help them.

Men's Alliance NI met with Health Minister Mike Nesbitt on Wednesday, along with officials from Stormont's justice and communities departments.

In 2024/25, police recorded 5,747 domestic abuse crimes with a male victim, which it said represented "one third of all domestic abuse victims in Northern Ireland".

Carey Baxter, who chairs the Men's Alliance NI, said "there are men living in derelict shops, in cars, in tents in [the] middle of forests, that shouldn't be".

"Men leaving domestic abuse, leaving abusive relationships, they need to have options," he told BBC Radio Ulster's BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"At the minute, they basically have nowhere to go.

"In 2026, we should be able to give them a roof over their heads.

"They may find they leave the abusive relationship and go to the Housing Executive and because they are a single man with no children with them, they go to the very bottom of the list.

"This means they end up in a homeless shelter, where there are a lot of drugs issues, addictions issues and it is not a place for a man that has been suffering from domestic abuse maybe for years and potentially suffering with his mental health.

"And there is no specialised wraparound care."

Baxter highlighted the impact on men who were homeless after domestic abuse.

"I regularly speak to men that are sleeping in cars, I regularly speak to men who are living in tents," he added.

"I remember speaking to one man, seven months he had lived in the middle of a forest in a tent.

"That shouldn't even be considered as necessary for these men and what does that do to these men?

"It has a huge impact on their mental health and especially for dads where they then can't see their children, they have nowhere to go, to take or to bring their children to, where they can spend time with them.

"So that starts the process of alienation from their children and this all impacts on their mental health.

"In this day and age, we should be in a position where we can provide them with reliable housing and safety."

Baxter said the group "was not campaigning for funding being taken away from women's refuges".

"They are important for the safety of women, that funding should be protected," he said.

"What we are asking for is funding to help us open a refuge for men.

"And that shouldn't impact on services for women, we have been very, very clear about that from the start.

"We have left it with minister Nesbitt and the officials from the other departments to look at this, let's think outside the box a little bit, what solutions can we come up with that we can push through, because this is an urgent need."

In a statement, the health minister Mike Nesbitt said "domestic and sexual abuse has a profound impact on individuals, families, and communities".

He added that he is "committed, through the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy, to creating a society where domestic and sexual abuse are not tolerated, where victims receive the support they need and where those responsible are held to account".

"I fully acknowledge the absence of dedicated refuge provision for male victims of domestic abuse in Northern Ireland," Nesbitt added.

"I am happy to work with my ministerial colleagues to consider any proposal as part of my department's ongoing commitment to tackle the issue of domestic and sexual abuse."

Baxter said Men's Alliance NI had previously met with Stormont Justice Minister, Naomi Long.

In a statement, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said it "acknowledges that the lack of a dedicated refuge or emergency accommodation specifically designed for male victims of domestic abuse means that some men are left with extremely limited options when they need to leave an abusive home, placing them at increased risk of homelessness, isolation or remaining in abusive situations".

It added that it recognises the ambition behind the proposal for a "haven for men project" and welcomed the "opportunity to better understand the practical considerations involved in delivering such a service".

"The Department of Justice has responsibility for policy relating to domestic abuse and continues to work closely with statutory and voluntary sector partners, as well as other departments, to improve protection and support for victims," it added.

Details of support for domestic abuse are available at BBC Action Line.