Women in rural communities are at a particularly high risk of intimate partner violence and face several barriers when trying to get help, a coroner's inquest heard Wednesday, as experts called for a national action plan to address the issue.
The inquest is examining the deaths of three women who were killed by a man they were in previous relationships with. Carol Culleton, 66; Nathalie Warmerdam, 48; and Anastasia Kuzyk, 36, lived in the Renfrew County area and were murdered within an hour of each other on Sept. 22, 2015.
An expert panel told the inquest the rates of intimate partner violence are 75 per cent higher for women living in rural communities than women living in urban communities.
Rural victims of gender-based or intimate partner violence can face a lack of privacy and anonymity in their communities, which can prevent them from reaching out for support, said panel member Pamela Cross, who held consultations with residents in Renfrew County on the impact of the murders committed by Basil Borutski.
"Let's pretend that you work in the shelter and I'm coming into the shelter, but I get there and I realize that you're my abuser's cousin. It's pretty uncomfortable for you, but it's downright unsafe for me," said Cross, a lawyer and expert on violence against women.
"It could be something not quite as direct as that, it could just mean that I'm trying to flee this abusive relationship, but wherever I turn, I'm constantly ... running into people who are connected with this person has caused me so much harm."
People who live in rural communities also tend to be far from help and escape, an issue that is compounded by lack of access to public transportation, the inquest heard.
"Whether it's getting the kids to school or trying to flee an abuser, it's much more difficult to do that when there's not a bus stop at the corner, or a hospital within a short distance, or even a public place that a woman could go and hide," Cross explained.
Rural residents may experience spotty phone service and internet as well, which can further complicate a victim's ability to reach out for help in the case of an emergency or to a friend or family member for support, the inquest heard.
Due to this isolation, abusers can "get away with more and they can control what you do and where you go if you're stuck there," said Cross.
Guns are also more prevalent in rural homes, which means they can be used by abusers to "terrify," "coercively" control their partner and "to kill," she said.
"While only 12 per cent of femicides in urban areas involve the use of a firearm, the rate in rural communities is more than double that. It's 29 per cent," Cross added.
Even if a victim wants to access services for gender-based and intimate partner violence in a rural community, they will inevitably not have access to the same range and diversity of services offered in urban centres, the inquest heard.
In her testimony, Cross emphasized the need for a national action plan on violence against women and intimate partner violence to address some of those challenges.
"The federal government has the opportunity to ... implement a national action plan. They've been given a roadmap and a framework for how to do that," she said.
A key recommendation made to the government is to create a sustainable funding model for services to help victims of gender-based violence, Cross said, noting that those services should be funded the same way other essential services, like hospitals and schools, are funded.
"The instructions are there, the government has had them for several months. It's time for them to act on them," she said.
Marlene Ham, executive director of Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses, who joined Cross on the panel speaking to the inquest about intimate partner violence, agreed.
"There's been improvements, for sure, on funding, but there's still a long way to go," Ham said.
The inquest that began Monday is expected to last three weeks and hear from approximately 30 witnesses.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2022.
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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
Noushin Ziafati, The Canadian Press
