In the rural Upper Valley, women victims of domestic violence struggle to find housing, jobs and legal services that will allow them to leave abusive relationships.
Domestic violence is fostered by Upper Valley culture, according to local victims' advocates.
Many women live far away from their neighbors or towns, isolated in their homes. This isolation is central to the ability of the batterer to control his spouse, especially in relationships in which women have neither cars nor driver's licenses and sometimes even lack phones.
As a result, women become dependent on their controlling spouses.
Although control, fear and dependency are key elements to all abusive relationships, the ease of isolation in the Upper Valley contributes to what Sarah Copps of the Women's Information Service of the Upper Valley calls "a real phenomenon of rural domestic violence."
A Culture of Violence
According to Tucker Foundation Community Service Coordinator Anne Sosin '02, who wrote her thesis on Upper Valley domestic violence, the culture in rural Vermont supports violence.
Many children are raised in dysfunctional families in which violence is normalized. As a result, parents teach the dysfunctional behavior to their children and perpetuate the cycle of violence.
As the practice becomes ingrained in their culture and family lives, women often find it hard to leave violent relationships, because there is a stigma attached to being abused, Sosin said.
"If you're abused, that means you're not a good wife."
Women, therefore, are reluctant to report abuse because their families and communities are not supportive.
Domestic violence is a problem that afflicts all socioeconomic and demographic groups.
"We have a lot of people who come in to talk to us about being abused by people with six-figure incomes," Copps said.
However, the poverty that exists in some parts of the Upper Valley may exacerbate the problem.
Men who are dissatisfied with their status -- who feel there are no opportunities open to them -- are more likely to exert control in abusive relationships, Sosin said.
Legal Challenges
If women decide to leave abusive relationships, they face many challenges. First, there are legal obstacles -- restraining orders, divorces and child custody proceedings.
Family court cases, especially divorce and custody hearings, are often extremely time consuming. For women who cannot afford to hire their own attorneys, there are few options.
"It is very, very difficult for victims of domestic violence, especially people who have very limited funds, to get effective legal representation," said Alex Banks of Vermont Law School's South Royalton legal clinic.
Banks represents women in their requests for permanent restraining orders, but cannot accommodate many divorce or custody cases.
Many women may not be able to seek out legal services or go to lawyers. The rural community isolates them from these services, and many lack both cars and drivers' licenses.
Recognizing this, Wynona Ward, who suffered under domestic violence in her family in rural Vermont, founded Have Justice " Will Travel.
Have Justice is another organization that provides free legal services to women in the Upper Valley, but it turns away nine of every 10 cases, according to Sosin, who works there part time.
They do not have the staff to accommodate the need for legal services, so they only take the most serious cases.
Once in court, women may find problems with the justice system, which Sosin described as "very prejudiced against women."
"The laws are in place, but judges are reluctant to enforce them," she said.
Those women who cannot find legal representation are put at an immediate disadvantage, fighting to litigate against experienced attorneys, Ward said.
"The batterer can hire an attorney, but the mother can't," she said.
Many others, who are unable to find adequate representation for their divorce or custody proceedings, feel forced to return to their abusive spouses rather than lose custody of their children, leaving them in danger.
"They feel it is the best way to protect their children," Banks said.
Social Services
Women who leave abusive relationships continue to have problems.
Many lack education, job skills or experience. Without income, they cannot support their children or afford to find a new place to live.
There are several social service organizations in the Upper Valley that address these issues, including Have Justice and WISE, but many women still have trouble accessing them, Ward said.
Have Justice runs programs that teach job skills and also offers both a women in transition group and a life skills and mentoring group for women who have been in abusive relationships.
"Those types of things can really help," Ward said.
WISE provides referrals to lawyers, support groups and educational programs. They speak to businesses and school children about violence and violent relationships. They also keep in contact with area hospitals so that they can council victims of sexual abuse, Copps said.
Continuing Problems
Those who manage to leave abusive relationships face the housing shortages of the Upper Valley and find it especially difficult to find low income and affordable housing, Sosin said.
The odds are stacked against women in abusive relationships. Even if they manage to overcome the obstacles to legal victory, economic stability and new housing, they remain in danger.
Wary that domestic violence is no longer part of the national agenda, Banks warned, "There is still so much work left to be done."
He urged individuals to volunteer at hotlines and shelters, use their homes as safe houses and help teach women job skills so that they are more employable.
