When men become victims

For a long time, it was taboo to talk about sexualized or domestic violence against men.
It was simply inconceivable that a man could become a victim.
It was not possible for those affected to talk about their experiences or even get support.
But now we are seeing a change in society.

Since 2008, Opferhilfe beider Basel has been providing advice to male victims of domestic and sexualized violence through specialized experts.
Victim Support wants to specifically address this group of victims and send a signal: We know that you exist, you are not alone, you have specific needs.

Raising awareness works
In addition to advising those affected, efforts have been and continue to be made to raise awareness among the public, the authorities and the agencies involved.
At the same time, there are signs of change in society.
The taboo is crumbling, men can become victims and are allowed to seek help.
This development can be clearly seen in the figures.

The number of men affected by domestic and sexualized violence tripled between 2008 and 2023 to 225.
On average, one man per day now seeks advice from the OHbB.
Two thirds concern domestic violence, one third sexualized violence.

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1: OHbB counselling for male victims of domestic or sexualized violence

Social change

The question arises as to whether this is an advice center phenomenon or whether a social change is taking place.
One answer is provided by the national police crime statistics.
Since 2009, they have recorded the victims of domestic or sexualized violence in detail.

Over a comparable period, there has been a 40% increase in the number of male victims in criminal proceedings.
However, these figures do not provide any information as to whether there were more crimes or whether those affected are reporting more cases due to increased awareness.
At 15-25%, the proportion of victims of sexualized violence is lower than in the case of victim support in beider Basel.

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2: Male victims in criminal proceedings, national police crime statistics

The two sets of figures suggest that a social change is underway.
Men are also more likely to report crimes of domestic and sexualized violence.
And, importantly, they are quicker to seek help.
The fact that the number of counseling sessions at Opferhilfe beider Basel has grown much faster than the number of criminal proceedings makes something clear: the commitment of the counseling center over the last 16 years is having an effect.