Nearly one in four domestic violence reports lodged with the police are filed by men, police data shows.

The number of domestic violence reports by men has increased steadily over the past years – from 144 out of 711 total reports in 2010, to 323 out of 1,378 last year.

These figures, which include repeat victims, show an increase from a fifth to nearly a fourth of the total domestic violence re-ports being filed by men.

Most of the abuse reported by the male victims is psychological.

Abused men who spoke to the Times of Malta believe that the figures do not reflect reality, as victims are ashamed to speak up, have no one to turn to, and are scared they will lose custody of children.

READ: 'The blows were coming from all directions'

If a woman fled home, society would say she was seeking protection for herself and her children, but had I left home, people would have said I was abandoning the family, one victim said.

Inspector Sylvana Gafà, who heads the Victim Support Unit, urged male victims to speak up.

Asked why men found it difficult to report domestic violence, she put this down to various issues, including shame, embarrassment, humiliation, pride and social norms.

READ: 'As soon as we stepped indoors, the verbal abuse would start'