Male victims of domestic abuse charity could close

A South-West charity that supports male victims of domestic abuse says it may have to shut its helpline because of a lack of funding.

The Taunton-based ManKind Initiative is one of only two charities in the UK that provide support specifically for men. This victim says their support helped him escape a decade of abuse:

Paul Chivers contacted the police after living with an abusive partner for over a decade - never an easy step to take. But for Paul, it was made even harder by the fact that he was a man:

Based in Taunton, the Mankind Initiative runs a national helpline for male victims of domestic violence. It's one of just two in the country. But the charity's due to run out of funding early next year.

This video (below) was made by charity the mankind initiative. They used hidden cameras to highlight the lack of support available to male victims of domestic violence.

The video shows when a woman is attacked by her partner in the street the public jump to her aid. But when the roles are reversed the reaction is humour.

The Mankind Initiative supports over one and a half thousand callers every year. But the charity needs £45,000 to keep their helpline running for another year.

For Paul the Mankind Initiative helped make the process easier. But it's help that might not be available to victims in the future.