Captive and controlled

We have often raised concerns that stereotypical perceptions of rural life can hide serious issues like poverty and deprivation. A new report by the National Rural Crime Network, of which the Alliance is a part, has uncovered another area of serious concern that has been overlooked because of assumptions about rural life. The landmark report on domestic abuse makes for grim reading, but it is vitally important in that it opens a discussion which must be had if the problem is to be addressed and victims are to get proper support. It touches on a difficult problem and it has uncovered a deeply hidden and disturbing side to rural life. Far from the peaceful idyll most people have in their mind when conjuring the countryside, this report bears the souls and scars of domestic abuse victims, who all too often are lost to support, policing and the criminal justice services.

The report found that:

• Rural victims are half as likely to report their abuse to others
• Rural victims' abuse goes on significantly longer
• Rural victims cannot readily access support services
• Rural victims live in a society that protects the perpetrators
• Rural victims are isolated, unsupported and unprotected in a rural hell, which is purposefully 'normalised'

The harrowing stories of victims makes very hard reading, but only by hearing their voices and understanding the impact abuse has had on them will we be able to address the issue:

"You think that the community in villages like the one I lived in would be a source of support but in reality, no-one wants to get involved in another person's personal life… because he played for the village cricket team he had the support of everyone and this made me feel even more isolated."

"I found it so hard to find anyone in the village to talk to. They are all perfectly nice people on the surface, but after he shouted at me in the pub that night it was like everyone took a step back from me."

"My partner used to deliberately drive off to work with the kids car seats in his car which meant I could not go anywhere safely because I was stuck in the cottage with the kids… it was just another way he isolated me and kept me from interacting with anyone else"

"Once I came in and he had wrapped up a new phone for me… when I opened it up it had all been set up for me but all the pictures from my old phone and my friend's numbers weren't on there. Like none of them. When I asked for my old phone to transfer them over he said he had destroyed it because everything I needed was on the new phone… it was like he had removed my former life – just wiped it clean."

"You don't really have a choice – the police are at least an hour away and if it happens on a Friday or Saturday night, which it always did, they are busy dealing with other things. I never really considered calling the police – what's the point? By that time, I had been hit, slapped or punched anyway."

The report, Captive and Controlled, gives an insight into the shocking picture of domestic abuse in rural Britain with hidden victims who are isolated, unsupported and unprotected and are being failed by the system, services and those around them. Its findings are stark, disturbing and lead to an urgent call for action from government, the police, society and from us all.

Tim Bonner

Chief Executive

If you need help and would like to talk to someone please contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline website or call the Freephone Helpline on 0808 2000 247.