An independent report by Charlotte Bingham.

Domestic violence in the local area is surprisingly not as rare as you might expect.

According to the ‘Craven Domestic Violence Service’ one in four women and one in six men suffer from domestic abuse in their lives. A victim will be assaulted on average 35 times by his/her partner or ex partner, before seeking help. Less than 35% of domestic violence is reported to the police. Domestic Violence can often start and escalate during pregnancy. In addition 90% of recorded incidents of domestic abuse showed that children were in the same or next room. There are children in 50% of households where domestic abuse takes place.

Domestic violence is a pattern of controlling and aggressive behaviour from one adult towards another, within an intimate relationship. The abuse can be actual or threatened and can happen once every so often or on a regular basis. Every form of abuse comes from the abuser’s desire for power and ultimate control.

In the Craven district there are fewer services available to victims of domestic violence, therefore domestic violence continues to survive, and is not widely talked about. Regardless of our social group, class, age, race, disability, sexuality, or lifestyle, abuse can happen at anytime. It can begin in a new relationship, or after many years.

A large problem with rural domestic violence is its forbidden status, particularly concerning domestic violence with men as victims; this often means a reluctance to report domestic violence due to shame and embarrassment. The ’unmentionable’ attitude towards domestic violence often means a lot goes unreported and remains hidden; therefore, it is hard to get precise statistics and could mean that the figures do under represent the enormity of the abuse problem. However, according to ‘Craven Domestic Violence Service’ the majority of abused clients are women.

Domestic Violence accounts for one quarter of violent crime. There are many forms of abuse, which may occur, physical, psychological, economic, emotional, and sexual. A victim of domestic violence said, “The physical abuse was immense. I was regularly spat in the face, hit, punched, and attacked with a rolling pin, which resulted in loosing consciousness. She said, “The psychological and emotional effects were horrific, especially after being told everyday that I was less attractive ever since having a baby and that I was fat. He prevented me from working and instead lashed out with sudden outbursts of anger and rage. I felt ashamed and humiliated, but worse of all being locked in a room and hearing my daughter cry, and been apart from her was the worst feeling in the world.”

Looking further at domestic violence in the rural community, there is a sharp difference between local villages and urban areas. In larger cities and towns there are more refuges available, which may encourage victims to be more open about abuse, confide in professional people, and use domestic violence services. According to a spokesperson at ‘CDVS’, “Domestic violence is more of a problem in the Craven District, because the nearest refuge is miles away in Keighley.” For a lot of victims leaving a partner might mean removing their children from the local school, and or giving up their jobs, resulting in added extra pressures. ’CDVS’ offer alternative coping strategies, sometimes enabling the victim to remain within the community.

‘CDVS’ refers approximately 7 people a month, over 50%, (4) are from isolated rural areas. The victims in remote rural locations have difficulties because; they are isolated from help, together with the monetary load of the high cost of living. Financial pressures on farmers and other rural workers can aggravate the effects of domestic violence. The nearest neighbour might be miles away, so the abuse may go unnoticed, other people might never hear cries for help, there could also be no network coverage on a mobile telephone and in severe weather the victim may be unreachable.

In village communities it can be quite a different picture as victims live in smaller groups. Business premises or work places may literally be next door, making it impossible for the victim to access help, because their abusers are always near at hand. Victims may also try to hide abuse. This may be because they believe their partner, might change. By attempting to deal with the situation and finding or accepting an explanation, they assume the relationship has a future.

Both the perpetrator and the victim can make unsuccessful attempts to end violent relationships and the reasons for returning include: believing promises to change, absence of acceptable practical alternatives, pressure from others, and the absence of useful protection.

The ‘Craven Domestic Violence Service’ offers individual support, a non-judgmental listening ear, confidentiality, safety planning strategies and emotional support, to help sufferers recover, plus group discussion work. This service is specially designed for people who are suffering abuse in the rural community. Although there are national charities, local services are very important to the community; these forces will hopefully encourage victims to speak out about their abuse. ‘CDVS’ is also designed to assist victims of domestic violence, to help make friends with other victims and discuss their problems openly. The busiest times follow a pattern usually after Christmas and again after the summer holidays, stressful times for most families.

Drystone Radio continues to increase awareness in the community about domestic violence and its effects.
However geographically isolated no one needs to suffer in silence.
So please contact our suggested links for help.

Craven Domestic Violence Service
THEIR CONFIDENTIAL HELPLINE NUMBER IS
01756 794400
Open 10am-12noon
Monday to Friday
24 hour answer machine

Refuge
CONFIDENTIAL HELPLINE
0808 2000 247