·Noaccess to family vehicles or being preventedfrom getting a drivers license/No public transportation.
·May not have phone service.
·Police and medical response time may take a long time.
·Rural areas have fewer resources for women—jobs, childcare, housing and health care.
·Extreme weather often exaggerates isolation.
·Poor roads thwart transportation.
·Seasonal work may mean months of isolation with the abuser.
·Hunting weapons are common in the home.
·Alcohol use, often increases in winter months.
·Traveling to a large city (20,000) can be intimidating
·A woman’s bruises may fade or heal before she sees neighbors, and working with farm tools and equipment can provide an easy explanation for injury.
·Court orders restraining an abuser from having contact with a woman are less viable for rural women because their partners cannot be kept away from the farm if it is their only source of income.
·Rural women frequently have strong emotional ties to the land and farm animals, and may fear they would be harmed.
·Finances tied up in land and equipment and loss of the family farm may become a reality.
Minnesota coalition for Battered Women's "Hands Are Not for Hitting." campaign.
24/7 Crisis Line 307-746-3630 Office Line 307-746-2748 Email: ffcc@rtconnect.net 719 C Washington Blvd Newcastle, WY 82701
