Guidance for dealing with male victims of abuse will be sent to prosecutors for the first time as the CPS says they need specific protection in the same way as LGBT and black and ethnic minority people.

Previously there had been no specialised guidance for prosecutors on dealing with male victims of crimes such as rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence.

Prosecutors hope the new documents will tackle attitudes which stop men coming forward for fear that they will be ignored and have their masculinity ridiculed.

While it says men have always been given equal footing with other victims, the document is the first time the CPS has directly addressed their issues.

It plans to update case studies and guidance to challenge myths and stereotypes and include the details of services which provide support for male victims.

Prosecutors will be sent information about the different issues faced by male victims, including the fact that boys are more likely to be sexually abused by "authority figures", while girls are more likely to be targeted by family members.

Boys who have experienced childhood abuse also tend to come forward at a younger average age of 13, compared to 16 for girls.