The ManKind Initiative is a

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

charity based in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and is at the forefront of providing support for male victims of domestic abuse and violence. Since becoming a charity in 2001, it has provided a

helpline A helpline, or switchboard, is a telephone service which offers help to those who call. Many helpline services now offer more than telephone support - offering access to information, advice or customer service via telephone, email, web or SMS. ...

, training and support for statutory agencies (primarily the police and local authorities) and campaigns to ensure that equal recognition is given to male victims in the same way that recognition is given to female victims of domestic abuse. It is one of only a few charities in the country to help male victims. The organisation is based in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

and was founded in 2001.

Objectives

The ManKind Initiative believes that support should be provided to male victims of domestic violence as all victims of domestic violence and abuse should be helped. It rejects the gender-based approach to the issue used by the government, local authorities and police, and instead demonstrates that domestic violence can happen to anyone and is a

societal A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

and family problem. The organisation is committed to challenging harmful gender-based domestic violence policies and ensuring help is available to all, regardless of

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

. It strongly believes men and women should work together to tackle the issue of domestic violence, that

gender politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...

need to be removed from the issue and that victims should be treated as individuals. The ManKind Initiative is gender inclusive in its approach and holds that domestic abuse support and recognition for victims should not be based on a “competition” between the genders.

Activities

The ManKind Initiative runs a

for male victims across the UK, advising and supporting over 100,000 men every year.Why will no one fund male domestic abuse charities?
/ref> It refers victims to relevant services or accommodation that might be available to them. The organisation campaigns for recognition of male victims, provision of domestic violence shelters for men and seeks more services at a local level. Due to a lack of funding, the helpline has limited hours.Domestic Violence, Forced Marriage and 'honour'-Based Violence: Sixth Report ... - Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Home Affairs Committee - Google Books
/ref> The organisation has been increasingly successful in recent times in beginning to highlight the plight of male victims and change attitudes towards domestic violence. Notable successes include forcing retailer

Superdrug Superdrug Stores plc (trading as Superdrug) is a health and beauty retailer in the United Kingdom, and the second largest behind Boots UK. The company is owned by A.S. Watson (Health & Beauty UK) Ltd which is part of the A.S. Watson Group. It ...

to withdraw products promoting

domestic violence against men Domestic violence against men is violence or other physical abuse towards men in a domestic setting, such as in marriage or cohabitation. As with domestic violence against women, violence against men may constitute a crime, but laws vary betwee ...

. It also regularly challenges the authorities to ensure they do not forget the plight of male victims. Recent campaigns include challenging the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, the Crown Prosecution Service and Mayor of London.

Violence is Violence video

On 22 May 2014 the organisation released a video titled "Violence is violence" highlighting different public reactions to male and female victims of domestic violence being abused on public. The organisation set up hidden cameras in a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

park then filmed the public's reactions to two scenarios: a man abusing a woman and a woman abusing a man. Members of the public intervened when the male attacked the female, with a woman threatening to call the police and another member of the public offering the victim refuge in his office. Meanwhile, in the case of the woman attacking her male partner, members of the public failed to intervene, with many staring and even laughing. The video campaign, created by Dare London, went viral, receiving over 5 million views in less than a week. Mark Brooks of the Mankind Initiative argued that, "A sign of living in an equal society is where men suffering from domestic violence are recognised and supported in the same way that female victims rightly are," adding "The fact that in 2014 this is not the case shows the change that is still needed, especially as many men fear they won't be believed if they come forward." The advert won the 2015 D&AD award for Tactical Branded Film Content & Entertainment.

Funding

The ManKind Initiative has four part-time staff who work alongside volunteers. It receives little funding, with an income of only £49,938 in 2010. Due to the lack of funds the organisation's helpline has faced the possibility of closure on at least two occasions. The organisation receives no government support, relying on donations. Funding partners include: The Tudor Trust, The Lankelly Chase Trust, The Nationwide Foundation, The National Lottery, The

Royal Agricultural University ;(from Virgil's Georgics)"Caring for the Fieldsand the Beasts" , established = 2013 - University status – College , type = public university, Public , president = Charles III, King Charles , vice_chancellor = P ...

, Newman University, Weston-Super-Mare Carnival and

Hogg Robinson Hogg Robinson Group was a corporate travel management company. It was acquired by American Express Global Business Travel in July 2018. History Hogg Robinson Group was established in 1845, by brothers in law Francis Hogg, a young wine merchant, ...

Patrons and supporters

The organisation's patrons include

Erin Pizzey Erin Patria Margaret Pizzey (; born 19 February 1939) is an English ex-feminist, Men's rights activist and advocate against domestic violence, and novelist. She is known for having started the first and currently the largest domestic violence s ...

(founder of the world first domestic violence shelters),

Lord Cotter Brian Joseph Michael Cotter, Baron Cotter (born 24 August 1936) is a politician in the United Kingdom. He was Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare from 1997 to 2005. Early life Born in London, the son of a doctor from Wes ...

John Penrose John David Penrose (born 22 June 1964) is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Weston-super-Mare since 2005. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the United Kingdom Anti-Corruption Champion at the Home Office fr ...

MP and

Liz Lynne Elizabeth Lynne (born 22 January 1948) is a British politician, and was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands for the Liberal Democrats from the 1999 European election until she retired in 2012. Previously she had bee ...

MEP from 1999–2012. The Chairman is Mark Brooks and the organisation has six trustees. As a result of his work at the ManKind Initiative, Brooks was awarded an OBE in the

2019 New Year Honours The 2019 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

, with the honour given "for services to male victims of domestic abuse".Kent people recognised in Queen's New year's honours list 2019
/ref>

References

{{Reflist

External links

ManKind Initiative Website