Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Rural survivors of abuse

Rural areas can pose particular problems for domestic violence survivors:

  • Geographical isolation; fewer roads, cars, buses, trains, communications, public transport, doctors
  • Less police/legal help
  • Harder to get a protective order
  • Lack of a support system; limited services, daycare, less health insurance
  • Fewer jobs
  • “Old-fashioned” values regarding women, marriage, money and guns
  • “Everybody knows everybody” including medical personnel and the police, and shelters (if any)
  • Bigger problems with alcohol, drugs, poverty
  • Sometimes a woman’s life and career consist of the farm she shares with the abuser, with no pension or Social Security

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