04/10/2025
Belfast Women’s March for Men 2025: Men Suffer Domestic Abuse Too, come and join us, or reserve your free space here - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-march-for-men-registration-1660829468649
The Men’s Alliance Northern Ireland is proud to announce that the Women’s March for Men 2025 will take place on Saturday 15 November, gathering from 1:00 pm in Writer’s Square, Belfast, for the march to follow at 2pm. This unique march, which is for women only to walk, asks men instead to gather along the route to applaud and support the women as they pass. The decision to have women lead the march reflects a powerful message: too often, male victims are sidelined, disbelieved, or dismissed when they try to speak for themselves, or accused of being “Angry Men” or “Shouters” if they March themselves. By stepping aside and allowing women to take the lead, the march ensures that their voices cannot be ignored when they call for recognition and support for male victims of domestic abuse.
The inaugural march in 2024 was the first of its kind worldwide, highlighting the struggles of men who suffer domestic abuse, many of whom remain silent due to stigma and disbelief. Organised by Men’s Alliance NI, last year’s march gave a public platform to an issue that is frequently overlooked. In 2025, the march will be bigger and longer, with a new route weaving through Belfast designed to maximise visibility and impact. The sight of women marching on behalf of male victims, while men stand aside to honour and support them, sends a clear and undeniable message: abuse knows no gender, and men deserve to be seen, supported, and believed.
The women taking part in the Women’s March for Men do so out of love, solidarity and recognition of the issues men experiencing domestic abuse in Northern Ireland face— as mothers, sisters, daughters, partners, and friends of men who have suffered in silence. They recognise that male victims are often dismissed, ridiculed, or ignored when they speak out, and they want to use their voices to amplify the experiences that men are too often denied. Many of the women have lost men to murder by their female partners, or su***de due to false allegations, alienation from their children or abuse that the men did not talk about. For these women, the march is not about taking attention away from female victims but about showing that abuse is abuse, no matter who it happens to, and that compassion and justice must extend to everyone, that people abuse people. By leading the march, they demonstrate that society cannot continue to overlook or silence men who are suffering and are in need of help and support.
Male victims in Northern Ireland face a crisis of recognition. Police Service of Northern Ireland statistics show that in 2024, men accounted for around 35% of victims of domestic abuse crimes — more than 9,000 incident reports — yet there is still not a single dedicated refuge for them, or them and their children. Research published in November 2024 by the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Victims of Crime found that men who disclose abuse often encounter disbelief, ridicule, or hostility. More than 70% of men surveyed admitted they had considered su***de as an escape from their situation, with many saying they were trapped by false allegations, child contact disputes, and lack of available services.
The march seeks to highlight these stark realities, and struggles that male victims face on a daily basis, but that has little societal recognition and support, until suddenly those people and their extended families are affected by it first hand.
Men’s Alliance NI is calling on government and service providers to urgently address the lack of provision for men, including the establishment of a male refuge, the development and expansion of tailored support services, and equal access to justice. The organisation is also appealing to the media to report responsibly, avoiding stereotypes that downplay or dismiss men’s experiences, avoiding statements such as “But we must remember, men make up the majority of perpetrators”. Mens Alliance will tell you, none of the thousands of men they support have anything to do with perpetrators of domestic violence and they deserve to be recognised in their own right as men who have suffered domestic abuse, not as second class victims, or perpetrators just because they are men too.
“When men march for themselves, their voices are too often silenced, ignored, or dismissed. By asking women to take the lead, we are ensuring that this message is heard in a way that cannot be brushed aside. It shows that abuse against men matters to women, too — and that is a message society cannot afford to ignore,” said a spokesperson for Men’s Alliance NI.
The Women’s March for Men 2025 will therefore not only raise awareness but also break down barriers of stigma, showing men that they are not alone and reminding decision-makers that domestic abuse support must include everyone.
