In Canada, a woman is killed by her male partner, on average, once a week.
Two researchers affiliated with UNB's Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research are part of a national community working to bring that number down preferably to zero.
Researchers at UNB studied how women in rural communities experience intimate partner violence. Their findings highlight how challenges like isolation, limited services and close-knit communities increase risk and offer recommendations to improve safety.
Dr. Cathy Holtmann, professor and department chair in sociology, and Dr. Mayme Lefurgey, adjunct professor in sociology are part of the nation-wide Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative.
For the past four years, they have been focusing on how women from rural communities survive high-risk domestic or intimate partner violence.
Their work revealed some of the ways in which rural environments characterized by factors such as increased isolation, challenging financial and communication realities and small, close-knit communities increased the risk to these women. These factors also shape how they escape from dangerous situations.
"In Canada, rates of domestic and intimate partner violence perpetrated by spouses or former spouses and family members are higher in rural areas than in urban ones. Living in a rural location also increases the risk of being killed in these situations," said the researchers.
The project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Women's Foundation, was developed in partnership with research centres at Western University and at the University of Guelph. Researchers from some 30 institutions in Canada have been collaborating for over 10 years to conduct and analyse nearly 130 interviews with survivors, and family or friends of victims of domestic homicide.
Holtmann and Lefurgey have specifically looked at a subset of project data: interview transcripts from two dozen domestic or intimate partner violence survivors. They used these transcripts to gain a better understanding of survivors' lived experiences particularly their experiences of, and reflections on, accessing formal and informal help in escaping their situation.
"One of the key elements discussed by survivors in our sample that made their situation particularly vulnerable was the degree of isolation, geographically but also socially," said Holtmann. "Their isolation was oftentimes a central part of the abuse and control they experienced further complicated by other realities of rural life, such as a lack of financial independence or poor access to communication services."
In addition to isolation, the researchers found that the small, tight-knit communities that generally characterize rural settlements could either lead to personal relationships that women could use in planning their escape, or to a distrust of the institutional structures meant to provide safety.
"We found that survivors often chose individualized and relational strategies that is, using direct relationships like close friends and family for safety due to the lack of specialized services in rural Canada," said Lefurgey.
"When services did exist, participants were sometimes reluctant to access them due to the perception that confidentiality would not be upheld, putting them at increased risk of violence.
"Survivors expressed concern about knowing a service provider personally or fearing that the whole town would know' what was going on in their personal life if they sought help."
Based on their findings, the researchers have also identified recommendations that could help save women from future harm. Among those, they suggest that:
- Shelters play a crucial and positive role for survivors who can access them; however, there is a need to improve access for rural populations, and for continued and sustainable funding for these essential community services.
- Informal support networks are a vital resource for rural survivors, and we should recognize and support the critical role these relationships play for instance, through increased public education, especially for those in community leadership roles.
- Employment is an important way of achieving financial security and independence, and the researchers found that a supportive work environment contributes to survivors' resilience. For New Brunswick employers looking to better support their employees experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence, they recommend the It's Your Business Toolkit.
- Rural survivors need options for confidentially accessing services outside their local communities. Because rural connectivity is inconsistent, communities should explore the idea of safe hubs with strong connectivity within existing public spaces such as school libraries, hospitals and public health clinics.
- For individuals who want to be better equipped to support their friends, family and neighbours, the researchers recommend the resources available through New Brunswick's Love Shouldn't Hurt campaign.
Every year at this time, Canadians mark a succession of four events at the end of November and beginning of December.
It starts with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25 and ends with Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. Between the two are the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, which are punctuated by the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Dec. 6.
During this period, statistically, at least two Canadian women will die at the hands of their male partners and many more will continue to experience physical, mental and emotional harm at their hands.
Changing this reality and making life safer is why researchers like Holtmann and Lefurgey remain committed to continuing their work on this topic.
