"What are you Complaining About, How Hard can a Woman Hit?": Male Experiences of Gender-Based Violence and Help-Seeking in England.

Abstract

Gender-based violence constitutes a significant global concern. Yet, most research focuses on women, with limited studies examining the lived experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) male victims of gender-based violence and help-seeking behavior from a co-production research approach underpinned by intersectionality theory. Our study makes an original contribution to fill this gap. 30 BAME male participants with lived experience of gender-based violence were recruited from England (Middlesbrough, Bradford, Nottingham, and Manchester). Two focus groups, comprising five participants each, and 20 individual interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis from an intersectionality theoretical lens was used to analyze the dataset. The study found that exploitation of unequal power dynamics, double victimization characterized by societal-induced silence, mental distress, and suicidal ideation, intersect to limit help-seeking behavior. It also found that systemic disadvantages in societal and service providers' responses to abuse further limit help-seeking. The study recommends the need for psychosocial interventions alongside awareness creation to address the barrier to help-seeking behavior of male victims affected by gender-based violence.