THE day Jack had his shoulder broken by a junkie wielding a piece of wood was the day he had to face up to a terrible truth.

The heroin-addicted thug who attacked him from behind was his 24-year-old daughter.

He had become yet another victim of domestic violence.

In the North-East's often macho culture, this type of woman-on-man attack is brushed under the carpet - victims say it is dismissed by police and treated as a joke by other men.

However, Jack's story is surprisingly common, as reflected in statistics from the British Crime Survey 2000, which show that eight per cent of all domestic violence is dished out by women against men.

While there are a network of domestic violence forums and refuges for battered women, men have to make do with The Samaritans and the bottom of a pint glass - victims say they are too ashamed to tell their friends.

A new support group called Men Only, set up in Washington, Wearside, will give advice and support to men who suffer at the hands of women, as well as more common problems including anxiety, depression and stress.

According to Dr Joan Harvey, a chartered psychologist of 25 years experience, based at Newcastle University, the only way men can cope is through talking about it.

She said: "The only approach is for them to take ownership of the problem.

Most would not want to admit the problem even to themselves, let alone anyone else. Men do not think they can be victimised in this way.

"If they are beaten up by a spouse they have to contend, not only with the injuries, but also with their own image.

"However, they will not necessarily be thinking they have to live up to a North-East hard man image. Their first thought will be 'how do I stop this'.

"And the only way to do that is to get help. This is imperative."

With only a quarter of all domestic violence incidents reported to the police, it is thought this figure is considerably lower for men - but it is increasing.

PC Julie Crick, who works with Victim Support in Peterlee, said: "In 17 years' experience I can never remember any male victims of domestic violence coming forward. However, I now see probably one every couple of months, which rather than indicating it's more of a problem, suggests men are more willing to report it."

Duncan McKinnon, who set up the Men Only Drop-in Service, suggests that contrary to popular myth, women have always been dominant in the region.

Putting the problem in context he said: "Feminism has always been rife in the North-East because the woman used to rule the roost in the pit days. She would stand at the doorstep waiting to pick up the pay when he came home from the pit."

Anyone affected by the issues in this article can contact the Men Only Drop-in Service, 0191-431 9958; Victim Support, 0845 3030900; Samaritans, 0345 909090; and the Home Office helpline for male victims of domestic violence, 0208 6449914