This report examines woman abuse, defined as violence against women in relationships, in two rural communities in British Columbia. The site selection of the two communities was based on their demographic features, population size, and pragmatic considerations that warranted the availability of community researchers living in or familiar with these communities. In order to protect the identities of the research sites, all those who participated in this study, and that of the community-based researchers, pseudonyms have been used to define the sites, and all location and personal identifiers have been removed.

The research strategy included: interviews with 20 women survivors of abuse who have been safe from violence for at least one year and who are not presently engaged in a court case; interviews with 13 key informants who represented different agencies within the criminal justice system, community-based service providers and advocates; and, 4 focus groups, 2 at each research-specified site, consisting of service providers and community residents respectively. A total of 61 individuals participated in this study.

Research tools used in this study were derived from the Department of Justice's collaborative study with the Community Abuse Program of Rural Ontario (CAPRO) for the Ontario Rural Woman Abuse Study (ORWAS). These included semi-structured interview questions for women survivors of abuse and focus group participants. As well, the ORWAS guides for conducting interviews and focus groups were incorporated in this study. Focus group and interview questions were modified to cover issues such as perceptions about levels of violence in these communities, provision of legal aid services; and, specific questions about the kinds of isolation experienced by women living in abusive relationships. Based on the ORWAS tools, a set of key informant questions was constructed and utilized in this study.

GENERAL FINDINGS

The present study reaffirmed the findings of the existing literature concerning woman abuse in rural communities. In particular, this study found that women who experience abuse in rural areas are doubly isolated by virtue of their geographic location, distance from services and support networks, and the isolation they experience as a result of the dominating and controlling behaviour of their partners. In some cases, women were deliberately moved to remote areas by their partners in order to cut their ties to families and friends. The lack of adequate and inexpensive transportation accentuated the isolation women living with abuse faced. The study found that women who want to leave abusive relationships, face limited options and these include leaving their homes, friends, land and community. As well, many of them continue to face ongoing harassment from the abusers.

Confidentiality and Anonymity

This study found that the socio-cultural context of small towns and rural communities militated against anonymity and privacy, thereby increasing women's vulnerability to stigmatization and ostracization. The lack of anonymity and confidentiality significantly impacted on women's ability to access services for fear that information about the abuse would be widely communicated, and would likely result in spousal reprisal and community backlash. Community denial and victim blaming exacerbated the situation for women wanting to leave abusive relationships. Familiarity with service providers also compromised confidentiality and contributed to women's reluctance to seek help from agencies and institutions.

Lack of Adequate Services

Distance from, and lack of adequate services, were also found to substantially increase women's risk to abuse and lethal violence. Participants expressed concerns over the easy access and prevalence of guns, and their use in situations involving woman abuse. Accessibility to emergency intervention was identified as a major barrier impacting on woman abuse in rural communities. Access to public transportation is limited and restricted. In addition, participants mentioned the lack of safe places for women to go to for support. The small size and location of rural communities contributed to women's vulnerability to harassment and stalking by their ex-partners as they had no place to which they could go to, or avenues by which to avoid contact with the abuser.

Participants identified the following aspects of social services delivery as constitutive of the barriers that women living with abuse face: the lack of empathy from workers; frequent rotation of workers; and lack of trained personnel. In addition, barriers resulting from the distant location of service providers, lack of financial assistance and child care that would enable women to bridge this distance, and the lack of a coordinated approach among service providers were identified as impeding women's ability to leave and survive abusive relationships. There was a marked absence of services aimed at addressing the needs of marginalized women.

Economic Considerations

Economic considerations and the presence of children were also found to be significant deterrents for women wanting to leave violent relationships. The prospect of facing poverty was cited as a major factor influencing women's decisions to remain in the abusive relationship. As well, the lack of services, supports, limited employment opportunities and educational or job-skills programs were also identified as barriers. Participants also raised the issue of financial abuse as one means by which abusers control and dominate women.

Institutional Response

Justice System

Participants expressed little confidence in the justice system, suggesting that stronger laws and more effective enforcement strategies were required in order to communicate the message that woman abuse is a crime. In addition, the need for increased court and legal services was identified as being critical to the proper administration of justice in rural areas. The protracted length of time between charges and court appearances, and more importantly, the court's dismissal and trivialization of women survivors experiences were identified as significant barriers compromising the fair and equitable delivery of justice.

The study also found that the lack of privacy in small courts in rural areas increases the chances of women being further intimidated by their abusive partners/ex-partners. As well, the continued harassment of women by their abusers who use the court to repeatedly request the varying of custody and maintenance arrangements was a significant concern among interviewees and participants.

Aside from crown or police based Victim Assistance Services, most participants indicated that police response was inadequate. The vast distances, small size of police detachments, and police officers' lack of knowledge and awareness of the gendered nature of woman abuse were cited as factors contributing to the negative evaluation of police response. As well, the lack of anonymity, resulting in part from the use of police radios and scanners, and the familiarity of police officers with residents, contributed to women's hesitation to deal with the police. It was observed that police in these communities do not consistently implement policies concerning woman abuse. However, participants also noted that police officers who were trained in the dynamics of woman abuse were more supportive, and further, that where senior officers were committed to enforcing preventative measures, other members of the force were more supportive of the experiences of woman survivors.

Health

With respect to other institutional services, most women survivors indicated that aside from friends, they first disclosed the violence to their physicians. However, the responses they received were mixed and tended towards the negative, suggesting that there is a greater need for physicians to be trained in the dynamics of abuse so as to respond adequately to the needs of women who are experiencing or have survived abuse. This recommendation was also articulated by service providers with respect to hospital personnel. Mental health services were also found to be inadequate and insensitive to the needs of women survivors of abuse.

Social Services

Institutional/government social services were also found to be critically lacking in their awareness of and adequate response to the needs of women experiencing or leaving violent relationships. In particular, policies concerning child apprehension (BC Ministry of Children and Families), and the delivery of financial and social assistance by the BC Ministry of Human Resources, were found to have a detrimental impact on women survivors of abuse. Fears of child apprehension and spousal reprisal (as a result of revealing the identity of the abuser), deterred women from leaving abusive relationships.

Useful Services

Services that were considered useful and effective included: transition houses, women's centres, various community-based outreach programs, and Victim Assistance Services. However, the under-funded nature of these services and their over-reliance on volunteer staff were seen as impacting significantly on their ability to deliver services on a consistent basis, and intervene in emergency situations.

Recommendations articulated in this study are based on those forwarded by women survivors, key informants, service providers and community residents.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT

Participants put forth strong recommendations regarding the necessity for all levels of government to prioritize the issue of woman abuse, especially in rural areas. Additionally, they emphasized the urgency for increased and sustained funding for programs and services dealing with woman abuse. They emphasized the vulnerability of rural women living with abuse and stressed the need for emergency intervention mechanisms, as well as support for long term measures.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE JUSTICE SYSTEM

Recommendations concerning the justice system included: treatment of women survivors' experiences as credible and valid; increased provision of court services and legal aid; increased awareness of the dynamics underpinning woman abuse; increased enforcement of orders (restraining, no contact orders and peace bonds); more vigorous implementation of policies dealing with violence against women in intimate relationships; increased representation of women within the police and judiciary; reduced time span between charges and court appearances; a coordinated response, and stronger laws against woman abuse. Participants emphasized the need for the justice system to privilege the protection of women who are survivors of abuse. Additional recommendations emphasized the need for Victim Assistance Services to provide court accompaniment and to act as liaisons between police, courts, legal aid, and women survivors; and, changing the criteria for eligibility and range of coverage for services provided by legal aid. Public legal education regarding women's rights was also recommended.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS

Recommendations for social service delivery agencies and institutions concerned the need for better trained personnel; the re-assessment and eradication of discriminatory policies; increased services; proactive measures that would enable the re-integration of survivors into the labour force and society; early intervention strategies and programs; and above all, the need for better communication strategies (using plain language and multilingual formats) by which to inform survivors of their rights and eligibility to services, as well as the kinds of services that are available and accessible. Participants recommended the implementation of a coordinated response, and a centralized system which could better serve the needs of women living with abuse.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COMMUNITIES

Recommendations for communities (residents, agencies and businesses), included: increasing awareness about woman abuse and services that are available for survivors; increased public education strategies which involve the use of the media, organization of public events and advertising campaigns; changing attitudes towards woman abuse and women in general; introduction of violence prevention curricula and strategies in schools; and enhanced support for community-based services and initiatives. In addition, participants recommended that communities take a proactive approach and be encouraged to intervene in cases involving woman abuse.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WOMEN LIVING WITH ABUSE

Recommendations articulated by women survivors for women who are currently in abusive relationships included the following: that women develop safety measures and supportive networks; research the availability of services in their area; recognize that abusers are not going to change; not remain in the abusive relationship for the sake of children; and to recognize that they are not alone.