FORT QU’APPELLE, Sask. — Statistics showing that rural women are at a greater risk of domestic abuse have prompted one group to take action.
The Saskatchewan Women’s Institute recently submitted a resolution calling for the provincial government to address violence against women and increase funding for safe shelters.
At its recent annual meeting, Marian Ogrodnick, SWI chair, said delegates heard that Saskatchewan has the highest rate of partner violence, homicide and sexual assault of the Canadian provinces.
“Jo-Anne (Dusel) gave us a lot of information and made us feel good that we had tackled this and we also realized then that we had taken on something that is important,” she said.
Read Also
A power of attorney document may no longer be enough
Recently, some financial institutions have begun imposing their own internal form of “verification” requirement with respect to powers of attorney.
Dusel, co-ordinator of the Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services in Saskatchewan, said that groups lobbying for greater support for abused women are a vital part of addressing issues plaguing the overloaded system.
“It’s incredibly important that we have people from outside our sector that are sharing our message because … front-line workers are so busy doing their work that they are not able to address systemic issues,” said Dusel.
She said statistics show that women in rural communities face higher incidence of violence at the hands of an intimate partner than their urban counterparts.
The physical isolation rural women experience is also a prohibitive factor for those seeking help.
“If someone on a farm experiences a violent incident, that woman has to make a calculation if they call for help or call the RCMP, how long is it going to take. … That’s a very real concern,” said Dusel.
The dynamics of rural communities can also put rural women in difficult circumstances when it comes to reporting violence.
She said women often have to leave their jobs and their entire support system when they flee a dangerous living arrangement.
“In a tight-knit community, it’s still considered a family matter and people are embarrassed when it’s going on,” said Dusel.
