Battered men have inundated a counselling service after a hard-hitting media campaign depicting female violence.
Calls to Mensline, a telephone counselling service, have tripled since television advertisements featuring violent women were screened during the Christmas holidays.
Spokesman Bruce Mackie said the seven-day service had enough staff to open only between5.30 pm and 11 pm but was taking an average of 30 calls a night, up from 10.
Although most male callers were troubled by relationship difficulties, a surprising number had been beaten by their female partner.
"They don't talk about it with colleagues and friends, they hide [the violence]," said Mr Mackie. "The notion that violence is a gender problem [is wrong]. It's a human problem."
Although men were capable of inflicting more damage when violent, women also resorted to their fists and were very skilled at psychological abuse. "It's not like one is better than the other; both are damaging."
The male calls for help come in the wake of a 96 per cent rise in the number of convictions for violence among females between 1988 and last year.
Services to help battered men were limited but the situation was beginning to improve, said Mr Mackie.
Groups such as Mensline, Man Alive and others in Auckland offered support programmes, while different groups operated in Christchurch, Timaru and Palmerston North, he said.
Other callers sought help for coping with relationship problems such as "how do you deal with conflict, how do you deal with partners who ignore you or partners using the children as a wedge between you."
