Men in the northwest who feel they are at risk of domestic violence now have a helpline to support them.
Ms Maura McGuirk has just set up a helpline in Sligo and intends to run monthly meetings for abused men. She is working with AMEN, a support group for men in violent relationships, which hopes to set up a similar service in Letterkenny, to cater for Donegal men.
"In the past few weeks, I have got numerous calls from men who have been abused by their partners," Ms McGuirk says. "I believe that the way forward is through mutual support groups for men so they can support each other. The stories they tell me are so similar."
As with abused women, the question most often asked is why don't they leave? The reasons are similar, she says. "When it starts, they think that it's just a once-off, that the violence couldn't possibly continue. Then as it goes on, their confidence takes a huge bashing. They are stripped of all their dignity. Because they are at a low ebb, they cannot see their way out of it."
She says problems for men in the north-west are compounded by their isolation and reluctance to seek support.
The AMEN support group in Sligo can be contacted at 071-60774 or 071-61777.