The Ontario Rural Woman Abuse Study (ORWAS), final report
4. FINDINGS: WOMAN ABUSE IN RURAL ONTARIO (continued)
4. FINDINGS: WOMAN ABUSE IN RURAL ONTARIO (continued)
4.5 Accessing Services - General
4.5.1 Lack of Information about Services
Most of the women interviewed indicated that information about available services should be made more accessible. Even though some information is available in the communities, many of the women live in socially or geographically isolated conditions and are less likely to be exposed to such information. Several women made the point that they had no idea where to get help or who to ask for help.
“I never even knew there was a shelter. I never knew there were places to go.” (Espanola survivor)
“I had no idea about shelters. I probably would have gone to a place like that to get some information.” (Grey-Bruce survivor)
4.5.2 Lack of / Inadequacy of Services
Women and service providers agreed that there are not enough services for victims of abuse. Many of the interviewees felt that the staff of local social and medical services are not properly informed about the issue of abuse nor about other available resources. Community residents and service providers stressed the need for more services to reach a wider group of women. In rural areas, service providers say they have difficulty assisting women because of the very large distances that they have to cover in a limited period of time.
Several services were identified as lacking in the rural areas. Some outreach workers from the shelters, who were formerly available, had been cut due to lack of funding. This was seen as an extremely important service given the impact that distance and lack of transportation have on women living in rural areas. Effective emergency services were another concern of the research participants. Distance, transportation, weather and response time were all identified as barriers to services.
“For those kinds of programs, there’s no money. But there has to be money. Yes. There should be money. It’s a question of priorities, isn’t it?” (Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry community leaders)
“We’re maybe dealing with the problem, but we’re not looking at the whole picture because there’s no services. There’s nothing for men.” (Cochrane community resident)
4.6 Criminal Justice System
4.6.1 Police
Treatment of Women’s Complaints
There were mixed reviews of the police response to women’s complaints. The response seems to vary considerably between communities, between town police forces and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), and between individual officers. Some of the older women indicated that the response now is better than it was several years ago. Other women said that they felt the younger officers seem to be more sympathetic to the husbands. There were several who suggested that the police took longer to respond when they were called back to the same residence several times.
“After calling the OPP on a Sunday afternoon from a rural community she was told it would take two hours for them to respond.” (Grey-Bruce survivor)
“Yes, the cop was going on vacation, so he said for me to go and see him the following week when he came back. I said,
‘Well don’t you have to take some pictures of my face’?”
(Espanola survivor)
Appropriate or Helpful Behaviour
Although many women described inappropriate behaviours by local police, it was clear that when an officer did respond with sensitivity and caring, it made an impression and received high praise from the women. Several women appreciated the fact that police often try to send female officers to domestic abuse calls. Others mentioned that the officers were most helpful by giving them a card with the shelter phone number on it.
“[He was] very sympathetic towards a woman and … very supportive. He will get you all the help you need.” (Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry survivor)
“And then there was a female officer that was there and she intervened because she obviously felt that the man could not handle the situation, and she calmed me down, so she must have had some experience, or maybe just because of her gender she understood what was going on.” (Vermilion Bay survivor)
“OPP patrol car sat at the end of the driveway while she packed her stuff to leave. Officers didn’t have to do anything, but stayed there just in case.” (Oxford County Community Report)
Attitudes
The police officer’s attitude is of utmost importance. When the officer takes the abuse seriously and shows respect for the woman, many women said it helped them to realise how serious the situation was and to make the decision to leave.
“You know, if I were a stranger walking down the street and somebody strangled me or something, if it were a stranger, I’m sure that person would be arrested and charged with aggravated assault. But because this man was my partner, oh well, ‘just wait till he calms down’. And I feel very angry about it now, because I know it’s not just me. I know a lot of women have a similar experience. Somehow, if you’re in a relationship with somebody, the violence is okay.” (Oxford County survivor)
“They were all very nice and caring and they didn’t make me feel, even the men, like I was the bad one.” (Cochrane survivor)
Police as Friends, Relatives or Neighbours
In a rural community, it is not unusual for some of the police officers to be related to or to be friends with the abuser or his family. One woman said her husband was on the same ball team as the officer, another said she and her ex-husband were friends of the police officer. In small towns this can be a serious deterrent to women accessing the help they need.
Firearms
In rural areas, firearms are available in many homes. Roughly half of the women interviewed stated that their abusive partners had access to guns. Many of them were threatened with a gun and one woman was shot at. Police were often aware that firearms were involved and some women felt this made the police more reluctant to intervene. Women also expressed concern about how easily their partners were able to obtain firearms.
“The police were afraid to go in because they knew he was a hunter and they knew there were firearms in the house, and they knew he had a temper. Men can get access to an FAC [firearms acquisition certificate] to get a gun even when they shouldn’t have one.” (Grey-Bruce survivor)
“One day he told me I was going to be a hunting accident. We were up in the bush forty miles away, with the two children and the gun and all those bullets.” (Espanola survivor)
Restraining Orders / Peace Bonds
When asked about the effectiveness of peace bonds or restraining orders, the women responded negatively. They expressed concern that restraining orders could not be put on until there were charges of assault laid, that when peace bonds are signed, there are often no conditions attached, and that restraining orders are generally not enforced by the police in any case. There were no apparent positive experiences with a restraining order or peace bond.
“A restraining order? Wipe your ass with it!” (Espanola survivor)
“Restraining orders are only worth the paper they’re written on. It only takes him one damned shot if he wants to get even.” (Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry survivor)
Stalking
Stalking is a common experience for survivors of violence, although most referred to it as ‘following’ rather than stalking. Survivors believe that the law does not take stalking seriously enough. Evidence of stalking is hard to prove, but many women stated that their ex-husbands were constantly aware of their whereabouts. Several related stories of how their abuser would leave anonymous signs that they had been in the woman’s house, or of how he would harass them at their workplace.
“But he followed me and … he was constantly sitting outside my house, making threats on the phone … and the police did nothing.” (Grey-Bruce survivor)
“He knew exactly where I was at all times. He had people park in front of the place where I used to work.” (Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry survivor)
Factors Affecting Women’s Decision to Involve Police
There are several factors that determine whether a woman decides to call the police. These include embarrassment about publicly disclosing the abuse and the effects it might have on the children. Other factors at play include the fact that police are not seen to be as reliable as they should be, the long response time in rural areas, the fear of an inappropriate response, and the fear of what will happen to them when their husband finds out that they have called the police.
“You don’t want everybody to know your dirty laundry, this is private, and my mother never called a cop on my dad.” (Cochrane survivor)
“It would take a half hour, forty-five minutes … So needless to say, I wasn’t about to call the police because I was too scared of what would happen to me.” (Espanola survivor)
Women’s Confidence in the Police
Women’s level of confidence in the police varied. Most women reported negative experiences with the police. Some service providers and community residents also expressed a lack of confidence in the ability of the police to respond to abused women. A great deal of concern was expressed over lengthy response times. Positive experiences were usually tied to a specific officer or a specific force. When police responded, listened to the women and did not judge them, the women found their services to be helpful and supportive.
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