It calls for a day of ceasefire and peace across the globe – and this year Peace One Day brings the thorny issue of domestic violence into its noble fold.
The annual event continues to add strings to its considerable bow, announcing its Reducing Domestic Violence coalition with the EDV Global Foundation in March.
Yet while such moves provide an invaluable opportunity to bring the issue to the forefront, assaults against men continue to be under-reported.
Which is why former James Bond actor Roger Moore was applauded when he revealed his experiences of domestic violence at the hands of two of his ex-wives.
Speaking on Piers Morgans' Life Stories show, Moore said skater Doorn Van Steyn often hit him and once hurled a teapot at him.
Roger Moore pictured with Dorothy Squires in 1959
He said: "She would scratch me. My mother was always petrified when I went home to see that I had more scars."
He revealed Van Steyn, who died in 2010, once even attacked a doctor treating him for a cut to his hand.
The couple divorced in 1953 and Moore went onto marry Welsh singer Dorothy Squires, whom says "had a great temper" and once thumped him on the head with a guitar.
In 2005 Rebekah Brooks (then Wade), editor of The Sun, was arrested for an alleged assault on her husband, EastEnders actor Ross Kemp.
Scotland Yard said Mr Kemp sustained a cut to the mouth but declined medical treatment.
Rival newspapers gleefully pointed out the arrest had come while The Sun was running a campaign against domestic violence.
Rebekah Brooks (then Wade) was arrested in 2005 for an alleged assault on her husband Ross Kemp
No further action was taken and the pair variously described the incident as “fuss about nothing” and “a silly row that got out of hand.”
Christian Slater and Bobby Brown are also reported to have suffered abuse at the hands of women, and several biographers have claimed Humphrey Bogart's third wife Mayo Methot was frequently abusive to him.
According to historian Michael Burlingame, American President Abraham Lincoln was reportedly beaten by his wife Mary Todd - in one instance for not putting enough wood on the fire.
Analysis of the 2010/11 British Crime Survey shows male victims of domestic violence are three times more reluctant than women to tell police, and four times less likely to speak to their GPs.
The survey revealed:
- Police – Only 10% of male victims have told the police (29% of female victims)
- Health professionals – Only 4% of male victims have told a health professional (19% of female victims)
- Person in authority - Only 19% of male victims have told someone in authority (44%of women)
- Not told anyone – 28% of male victims and 13% of female victims have not told anyone they are a victim
It added around six per cent of women and four per cent of men had experienced partner abuse in the last year, equivalent to around 900,000 female and 600,000 male victims.
SEE ALSO:
- Peace One Day 2012: High Profile Women Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence
- Peace One Day 2012: One Woman Tells Her Story Of Domestic Violence - And How She Left
- Peace One Day 2012: Notable Anti-Domestic Abuse Campaigns And Schemes (PICTURES)
- Domestic Violence Definition To Be Widened To Include Teen Victims And Controlling Behaviour
Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley told The Huffington Post UK: "What I want to do is raise awareness of this issue.
"When people realise Peace One Day is not just about AK47s, that puts it in the right light.
"Most violence is going to happen in a domestic setting. This is not just about people with guns. I hope there will be no violence against men, women or children on this day."
Mark Brooks, chairman of the ManKind Initiative charity told The Huffington Post UK: "Domestic abuse where a man is the victim is still one of Britain's last taboo subjects.
"Those that think domestic abuse is just men committing crimes against women are old fashioned and out of touch. Domestic abuse is four dimensional - (men on women, men on men, women on men, women on women).
"If the country and the government truly believes in equality, it is vital that all victims, irrespective of their gender, receive the same recognition and have full and same access to the support services they need to escape. Any differences means female and male victims are not being treated equally.
"While services and support for men lag way behind that for women, over the past five years the gap has closed."