In July 2019 a report by the Rural Crime Network cast a shocking light on Domestic Abuse being carried out in Rural Areas - much like Shropshire - finding that;
- Abuse in rural areas lasts up to 25% longer in most rural areas
- Traditional, patriarchal communities control and subjugate women
- The policing response is largely inadequate
- Support services are scarce - less available, less visible and less effective
- The more rural the setting, the higher the risk of harm
- Retreating rural resources make help and escape harder
- Rurality and isolation are deliberately used by abusers
- Close-knit communities facilitate abuse
- 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.
As described by Julia Mulligan, Chair of the National Rural Crime Network & Police, Fire and Crim Commissioner for North Yorkshire;
This research examines a different problem. We have uncovered a deeply hidden and disturbing side to rural life. Far from the peaceful idyll most people have in their mind when conjuring up the countryside, this report bears the souls and scars of domestic abuse victims, who all too often are lost to support, policing and criminal justice services.
Hidden under our noses. Hidden by abusers who like to keep it that way. A scale of abuse hitherto unseen.
On this page, we have links to the report itself, further analysis from the media and other reports which show similar conclusions.