Barriers to safety planning for female victims of domestic violence in Canadian rural, remote, and Northern communities

Purpose: Domestic violence and domestic homicide are significant community concerns in Canada. Recent studies suggest that female victims residing in rural, remote, and Northern (RRN) regions faced both greater levels of domestic violence and barriers to seek safety and support. Methods: This study...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Kohtala, Sara (Author) ; Jaffe, Peter G. 1948- (Author) ; Chiodo, Deborah (Author) ; Dawson, Myrna (Author) ; Straatman, Anna-Lee (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Journal of family violence
Year: 2025, Volume: 40, Issue: 1, Pages: 53-63
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Keywords:
Domestic Homicide
domestic violence
rural communities
Safety planning
Survivors’ voices
Description
Summary:Purpose: Domestic violence and domestic homicide are significant community concerns in Canada. Recent studies suggest that female victims residing in rural, remote, and Northern (RRN) regions faced both greater levels of domestic violence and barriers to seek safety and support. Methods: This study was part of a national research program that sought to understand the barriers to safety planning and survivors’ views on what could be done to enhance possible support in RRN regions. A qualitative thematic analysis of fifteen interviews conducted with survivors of DV in these regions provided some insight into these questions. Results: Barriers to safety planning included victim blaming and patriarchal attitudes, geographical barriers, confidentiality concerns, and a distrust in justice systems and community agencies. Participants made suggestions for those supporting survivors of DV in RRN regions that included meeting survivors where they are at, providing a non-judgmental space, believing, and validating survivors’ experiences. Conclusions: Rural victims of domestic violence were found to have significant barriers in disclosing their stories and seeking help which placed them at further risk of ongoing violence. Rurality was seen to be an important factor in understanding the context of their lives from an intersectional analysis. The implications of these findings were discussed in terms of enhanced outreach and practice among community members and service providers.
Item Description:Literaturverzeichnis: Seite 62-63
ISSN:1573-2851
DOI:10.1007/s10896-023-00559-x