The National Rural Crime Network has published a report revealing how victims are – isolated, unsupported and unprotected. Failed by the system, services and those around them.
The Key findingd of the report are
- Abuse lasts, on average, 25% longer in the most rural areas
- The policing response is largely inadequate
- The more rural the setting, the higher the risk of harm
- Rurality and isolation are deliberately used as weapons by abusers
- Close-knit rural communities facilitate abuse
- Traditional, patriarchal communities control and subjugate women
- Support services are scarce – less available, less visible and less effective
- Retreating rural resources make help and escape harder
- The short-term, often hand-to-mouth funding model has created competing and fragmented service provision
- An endemic data bias against rural communities leads to serious gaps in response and support
The full report can be found here