Publication of the Department of Justice Canada - 1995

"Family Violence"
in
Rural, Farm and Remote Canada

A Project of:
The Canadian Farm Women's Network

Prepared by:
Wendy Scott
W.M.Scott & Associates
Human Resource Development

with

Carolyn VanDine, CFWN Board Member, New Brunswick
Chairperson of Policy Committee
through
the Voice of Canadian Farm Women

March 3,1995

We acknowledge and thank Justice Canada, Health Canada and The Women's Program, Human Resource Development Canada for providing the funding for portions of this project. In addition, we thank Agriculture Canada for their support through services in kind which assisted in the printing and translation of this document, as well as, the New Brunswick Dept. of Agriculture for their contribution of printing.

Permission to reprint any portion of this document must be obtained in writing from the Canadian Farm Women's Network.

Copyright 1995 by the Canadian Farm Women's Network
88 Crown Ave., Fredericton, N.B., E3C 1C9

• Executive Summary
• Mandate of the Canadian Farm Women's Network
• Forward
• Introduction
  • Background
  • Context
  • Objectives
  • Methodology
• Summary of Research/Informing Rural Canadians
• Definitions of Family Violence
• Abuse Cycle
• Victims of Family Violence
  • Child and youth abuse
  • Violence against women
  • Violence against physically and mentally handicapped persons
  • Elder abuse
  • Violence against men
  • Other victims of violence
• Results of Family Violence
  • Suicide
  • Murder and attempted murder
  • Drug and alcohol abuse
  • Mental and emotional abuse
  • Spousal abuse
  • Assaults and battery
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Dating violence
  • Cult and ritual abuse
  • Violence in the workplace
  • Robbery and property damage
• Costs of Violence to Society
• The Voice of Canadian Farm Women
• Rural and Remote Canada
• Farm and Rural Community Needs Relating to Family Violence
  • The Need for Sensitization of Professionals to the Factors that Relate to Family Violence on Family Farms
    • Recognizing Myths About the Economics of Farming and the Image of Farmers
    • Recognizing Stress on the Farm
    • Recognizing Fear on the Farm
    • Recognizing Emotional Attachments on the Farm
    • Traditional Male and Female Role Models on the Farm
    • Recognizing Verbal and Emotional Abuse on the Farm
    • Eliminating Physical Abuse on the Farm
    • Recognizing Extended Family Relationships on the Farm
  • Rural Education and Awareness Campaign/Method of Prevention
  • Research and Studies on Rural and Farm Families
    • Needs
    • Process
  • Community Ownership of the Problem of Family Violence
  • Economic Security for Rural Women
  • Flexible Rural Child Care
  • Government Services in Rural Communities
  • Special Challenges for Disabled Farm Family Members
• Recommendations from Canadian Farm Women
• Recommendations from Canadian Farm Women To:
  • Federal Government
    • Department of Justice
    • Solicitor General
    • Health Canada
    • Agriculture Canada
    • Human Resource Development Canada
  • Provincial Governments
    • Department of Health
    • Department of Education
• Appendix A: Glossary
• Bibliography

Executive Summary

The Canadian Farm Women's Network is a non-profit organization which conducts its affairs in a manner free from bias with regard to political or religious affiliation, national origin, ethnic origin, race, geography, age, marital status, social position and disability. The membership of the CFWN is comprised of Provincial farm women's organizations and their grass roots members, as well as, associate memberships.

In 1993, with assistance from the federal government , the Canadian Farm Women's Network commissioned a video and workbook, "Fear on the Farm", that creates awareness, explores the current factors contributing to family violence on farms and the resources that are available or needed in the community. The video and study guide was presented to the grassroots farm women organizations in Canada at the 6th National Farm Women's Conference in November, 1993, as well as, through provincial workshops in some of the provinces. Through the video evaluation and conference survey farm women asked for more information on the presence of family violence on the farm and rural communities. It was evident that there was a lack of current and readily available research on rural and farm family violence in Canada.

The CFWN has undertaken to further address the issue of "Family Violence in Rural Canada" by researching and developing a position paper that reflects the issues common to the general population, along with identifying those unique to the farming industry. The researchers' focus is to identify the victims of family violence, state the acts of family violence, and record the current methods of dealing with family violence in order to define family violence in rural and farm communities. The conclusions based on the input of grassroots farm women's organizations in Canada will result in recommendations that could address and remedy the problem of family violence in rural communities and on family farms.

The position of the Canadian Farm Women's Network is that family violence, even its most subtle form, is not tolerable in Canadian society. The family is the nucleus of civilizations and family violence is a destroyer of that nucleus.

Global issues, as well as some national issues, over which the farm family has no control, are external factors that could cause some farmers to feel that they must take more control within the family. The necessity for men to be in control of their family is a very strong tradition in the some families. The need to be in control is the dominant force behind family violence. Societal change has been instrumental in bringing this issue to a head. Changing family structures, plus the restructuring of agriculture and rural communities, has lead to the need for more stabilizing factors in our family and home based business lives.

It is evident that identifying the root causes of family violence and working for a change in the attitude of rural Canadians, as well as, urban Canadians, would help create healthy communities and impact on the families' abilities to function in a more stable environment.

In order to begin to understand the cycle of abuse in the home, the researchers had to first define what constitutes violence. It was established that abuse was not only physical in nature but also included sexual assault, neglect, verbal attacks, insults and threats, harassment and other psychological abuses, such as emotional. The "bottom line" of all these actions is abusive power such as systematic, planned acts calculated to overpower and control. Generational abuse can also be described as cyclical and is a pattern of behavior which can be passed from one generation to the next.

The victims of family violence in rural communities have been identified as; children, women, elders, men and mentally/physically handicapped persons, all of which are proven to be similar in urban circumstances.

This document is designed to identify all the types of abuse so that violence is recognized in rural communities. There is no current research that has established whether there are abuses specific to rural versus urban areas. This document was not designed to make this comparison, but rather to establish that these forms of abuse exist and should be recognized as family violence in rural, farm and remote regions of Canada.

This research has indicated that the financial costs of family violence is far reaching in addition to the immeasurable human costs of violence. A comprehensive analysis of these costs has not been studied for rural, farm or remote regions. It has been identified that there are distinct differences such as lack of rural services, lack of family violence programs and a slower judicial process for rural communities, all of which are compounded by the distance factor. Is government incurring more cost in the long run by eliminating or streamlining these essential services in rural areas? A closer examination of the human and financial costs is needed to determine which essential services are most effective when dealing with family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.

The second section of this paper reflects the voice of farm women in Canada in regard to family violence and factors related to farm and rural communities. Farm women believe that there are three realities that contribute to violence;

1) poor economic conditions
2) long hours of labour on and off the farm (paid and unpaid)
3) high debt loads and few solutions

The stress related to these three realities is believed to be contributing factors to family violence on the farm.

The research section is drawn from actual experiences of farm women, including documented cases and facts. On the basis of these observations potential solutions and recommendations to government and community leaders were developed. Research also found that generational abuse is not specific to urban or rural but has been identified and should be examined closer for us to understand its affects in rural, farm and remote regions.

Farm women brought forward seven concerns that they would like to have addressed:

1. the necessity for sensitization of professionals and resources of the factors that relate to family violence on farms.
2. rural education and awareness campaigns as a method of prevention.
3. further research and consultation with rural and farm people to reflect the actual problem, needs and solutions concerning family violence.
4. community ownership of the problem for family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.
5. economic security for rural and farm women.
   6) flexible rural child care to eliminate risk during the operation of the farm, to be determined through the consultations with the Rural Child Care Coalition and government.
6. re-instatement and/or development of essential services for families in rural, farm and remote regions.

Recommendations to government will come from these concerns. It was also felt that communities and community organizations should examine and acknowledge these concerns in order to provide input for their communities.

The Canadian Farm Women's Network has endeavored to facilitate the development of realistic prevention and possible solutions of family violence that reflect the needs of rural, farm and remote regions. The recommendations listed in the final section of this paper are designed to be specific and action oriented. Farm women believe that an effective method of obtaining commitment from all stakeholders, decisions based on results from studies and implementing the actions, are through the on-going consultation process between government, community groups and national farm women leaders.

• to facilitate educational development and training of farm women and promote formal involvement of women at the local, provincial and national levels of farm organizations;
• to secure social, legal and economic equality for farm women in Canada;
• to provide a mechanism for the farm women of Canada to speak with a more integrated voice at the national and international level;
• to ensure full participation of farm women in the development of agricultural policy; and
• to support and strengthen the family farm and the farm family.

The Canadian Farm Women's Network, the project coordinator and the researchers have been intent on following the grassroots voice to study family violence in rural, farm and remote regions of Canada. This project has been designed to include the grassroots in the studies, research and input into the final document. Due to this methodology the final document is the voice of farm women in Canada. The "Family Violence" paper is the first to be undertaken by the Canadian Farm Women's Network and work is still needed to strengthen the input process to reach as many farm women through their provincial farm women's organizations, as well as, through the four other National Farm Women' Organizations in order that they have the opportunity to be heard on issues of importance to all farm women, the farm family and the farm business. It is the hope of the Canadian Farm Women's Network and the researchers that the findings and recommendations of this paper will assist families in violence and abuse situations. The recommendations have been developed to be as specific as possible and action oriented. It is the intent of the Canadian Farm Women's Network to actively pursue a consultation of farm women leaders in Canada, decision makers within the bureaucracy and the political Ministers in order that we may begin to see these recommendations implemented.

We were afforded significant amounts of support and understanding from many people during the research and input phase. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the provincial farm women's organizations and individual farm women across Canada who gave their time to work on the discussion paper and provided the researcher with the voice of farm women based on their knowledge of further documented research, expertise, thoughts and advice. This input process provides a strong influence for change. We would also like to thank rural community organizations, as well as, the resource personnel concerned about family violence in rural, farm and remote regions, for taking the time to conduct focus groups and workshops to share their thoughts, experience and knowledge. This document would not have been possible without input from all of the above .

We would like to express our appreciation to Justice Canada, Health Canada and The Women's Program, Human Resource Development Canada for providing the funding for portions of this project. In particular we would like to thank Justice for their efforts, time and prompt actions to facilitate an agreement from other departments on behalf of this project. It is the intent of the Canadian Farm Women's Network to ensure that the Family Violence Initiative Program be maintained with the continued support of all involved government departments.

In addition, we thank Agriculture Canada for their support through services in kind which assisted in the printing and translation of this document, as well as, the New Brunswick Dept.of Agriculture for printing services.

A. Background

The Canadian Farm Women's Network's level of awareness on the issue of family violence in rural regions was heightened through the development of the video and study guide "Fear on the Farm". This position paper is being developed in response to questions arising from this documentation of family violence on the farm.

The initiative from farm women was based on three major stress factors that could contribute to family violence on family farms: ( 1) poor economic conditions on many family owned and operated farms in Canada; (2) long hours of labor on and off the farm; and (3) the frustration of high debt loads and few solutions. These stress factors coupled with lack of communication or time to communicate sets the stage for mental and emotional abuse amongst all family members.

Rural communities and farm communities have characteristics and values that are different from urban communities. For example, rural and farm families are often a great distance from centralized services and very often have less access to information and government services. Statistics tells us that the population in Rural and farm communities is declining across Canada and so is the social and business centre of rural activities. Rural and farm values have often been viewed as more traditional and conservative than urban.

The Canadian Farm Women's Network exists to promote communication; to foster the learning, sharing and personal growth of its membership while achieving the shared goals which impact on the farm women of Canada and farm families.

B. Context

Research shows us that experts have examined abuse in urban settings but have not looked closely at rural, farm or remote regions. Farm women in Canada believe it is important to begin with awareness of the facts in rural and farm communities. There is little information or studies on rural family violence. This paper shall provide a more current view that reflects the experience, knowledge and existence of family violence in rural, farm and remote regions. As a result we can begin to work towards solutions that fit with the needs of the victim(s) and communities, as well as, understanding how to develop the preventive solutions that can work in rural, farm and remote regions.

Farm women believe that the differences recognized in this document must be accepted by the judicial, police, health and other service systems of family violence. A sensitization for these resources on the established differences in rural, farm and remote versus urban will provide services which promotes trust and understanding between these resources, the victims and the community, as well as, developing a more practical understanding of the needs and interests of the victim(s) and their families.

The Canadian Farm Women's Network recognized the need expressed by the grassroots to look more closely at family violence in rural, farm and remote regions in order that we participate in becoming part of the solution and work together with others to break the cycle of abuse that escalates costs of human and dollar value for victim(s), families and communities. The first step by the Network was the development of "Fear on the Farm" video and study guide. This paper "Family Violence in Rural Canada" and its recommendations is considered the second step toward breaking the abuse cycle of family violence.

C. Objectives

• to create awareness of family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.
• to determine the relationship between stress on the family farm and family violence.
• to educate rural and farm families of all the types of family violence.
• to identify barriers to the recognition of family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.
• to identify the factors contributing to family violence that are unique to the rural, farm and remote regions.
• to identify methods for prevention and solutions of family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.
• to encourage rural and farm families, communities and governments to work together to eliminate family violence in our society.
• to implement the solutions.
• to reach the reach the goal of "O" Tolerance of family violence in rural, farm communities.

Determination of issue is done through an evaluation and survey at the bi-annual National Farm Women's Conference.

PHASE 1 research and development of discussion paper/workbook

PHASE 2 Canadian farm women's input, in cooperation with provincial and national farm women's organizations; in order to conduct focus groups and workshops using the discussion paper as the basis.

PHASE 3 compilation and development of the final document in the form of a position paper.

PHASE 4 development of lobby/media strategy for presentation of position paper and workshop to the provinces and territories of Canada.

PHASE 5 Consultation between Canadian farm women leaders, government decision makers and political ministers to discuss and obtain commitment to implement recommendations.

In searching for data for this position paper, a noticeable lack of information concerning rural areas became evident. National statistics did not distinguish between urban or rural results.

According to Jennie Hornosty, a UNB professor of sociology, "There's a bias in research that assumes that research done in urban centers is applicable every place else; this is not always so." (28:2) This makes it "impossible to accurately present the distribution of victims of violence in the Canadian population."(47) As well, data on some forms of violence is not yet available or complete.

"While the amount of research on family violence in urban communities is abundant, little is known about violence in rural or farm communities." (28:2) The lifestyles and attitudes of rural and remote communities sometimes differ from urban areas. Family violence in these areas, while sharing many similarities, also have unique characteristics and these differences will be identified and will be given special consideration.

There are many definitions for family violence. Traditionally we are led to believe that violence must be physical in nature, usually resulting in a trip to the emergency room. However, as violence is becoming more prevalent in our society and more and more studies are being carried out as to what constitutes violence, the definition is being expanded to..."include physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse."(20)

An excerpt from a issue paper from the Canadian Public Health Association perhaps explains family violence best. "We are coming to realize that violence takes many more forms than physical blows or wounds. It includes sexual assault, neglect, verbal attacks, insults, threats, harassment and other psychological abuses. Violence occurs in homes, workplaces, public institutions, schools, health care facilities and the street. Women and children are as often the victims of violence as are men, and most often the violence is committed by someone known to the victim. Current violence includes acts that are random and spontaneous as in a lashing out in rage, as well as systemic, planned acts calculated to overpower and control. Violence affects its direct victims, those who witness violence, family members, co-workers, service providers, and all members of society." (28:iv)

The term dysfunctional is often used when discussing family violence..."it simply means that somewhere along the line there is a lack of communication or an unhealthy relationship." (10) "Family violence is characterized by the abuse of power within the family or relationship of dependency. It frequently involves repeated and escalating incidents of violence over a period of time." (23)

Most perpetrators of violence follow a pattern of abuse. "Threats of violence, followed by violent outbursts, followed by apologies, bribes and promises of "never again", followed by build-up of stress and tension only to explode again, are common." (5)

"This cycle may take days or months, with explosions that may be both unpredictable and sudden." (43)

The cycle can also be generational: "Dad beats mom. The child watches. Dad or mom beats the child. The child lives in fear. The child becomes a dad. Dad beats Mom. Its called the cycle of violence. (41)

"Those who lack power in society are the most likely victims of violence: they are vulnerable because they lack the means to resist violence, to escape from dangerous situations and to gain protection from society. Those who lack power may in turn lash out at those even less able to resist, and a cycle of violence is created." (28:11) Victims can be of any age, gender, social class, race, culture or geographic location.

Child and Youth Abuse

"Child abuse includes severe, repeated beatings; sexual abuse; use of excessive and inappropriate discipline; belittling and critical comments; and, neglect." (28:4)

Child sexual abuse "includes forcing a child - through physical, emotional, psychological or financial manipulation, both subtle and overt - to witness sexual contact, activity or behavior, to perform sexual acts or to listen to sexual remarks or comments. It further includes sexually touching a child, having intercourse with a child, or using a child for financial gain from juvenile prostitution, or the making of pornography. Child sexual abuse is a criminal offense in Canada." (23)

"Child sexual abuse occurs when a child is exploited for sexual satisfaction by an adult or teenager who is in a position of trust or relative power. Statistics indicate that in nine out of 10 cases of child sexual abuse, the offender is known to the child and that more than 90 per cent of the offenders are male." (23)

"Incest is the sexual abuse of a child, adolescent of young adult by an immediate or extended family member who is in a position of trust or relative power. Incest is a criminal offense in Canada." (23)

"The Report of the Committee on Sexual Offenses Against Children and Youth (the Badgley Report) confirmed what front-line personnel were beginning to suspect: child sexual abuse is a problem of major proportions, having significant implications for Canada's children. The Committee also found that:

• At sometime during their lives, about one in two females and one in three males had been victims of one or more unwanted sexual acts. These acts included witnessing an indecent exposure, being touched on sexual part of the body, being sexually threatened, and being subject to an attempted or an actual sexual assault.
• About four in five of these unwanted sexual acts had first been committed against these persons when they were children or youths.
• Four in one hundred young females had been raped.
• Two in one hundred young persons had experienced attempted or actual acts of unwanted anal penetration by a penis, or by means of objects or fingers.
• Acts of exposure constituted the largest single category of sexual offenses committed against children. Cases were documented where such acts were followed by sexual assault.
• Three in five sexually abused children had been threatened or physically coerced by their assailants. Young victims were as likely to be threatened or forced to engage in sexual acts by persons relatively close to their age as by older persons.
• Although few young victims were physically injured, substantially more suffered emotional harm.
• About one in four assailants was a family member or a person in position of trust, about half were friends or acquaintances, and about one in six was a stranger.
• Nearly all assailants were males; one in one hundred was a female.
• A majority of the victims of their families did not seek assistance from public services. When they did, they turned most often to police and doctors.
• Although child sexual abuse was not typically characterized by violence, in those instances where violence occurred, it was very serious. More than two in five of all sexual assault homicides were committed against children aged 15 and younger." (22:7-9)

"Potentially the most serious cases of child abuse involve preschoolers or infants. Infants, in abusive homes, are particularly at risk as they are totally dependent, vulnerable, non-verbal and require considerable amount of parental attention and patience." (34) "Youth service workers are gravely concerned about the increasingly younger age of both victims and perpetrators of violence and the increasing numbers of violent crimes committed by youth." (28:5-6)

An often overlooked segment of the population includes youth aged 12 to 19, most studies tend to focus on children under the age of 12. "An analysis of crime data from 13 police departments found that although teenagers aged 12 to 19 years make up approximately 12% of the population, they are the victims of 23% of all reported violent crimes." (28:5-6)

"While youth gangs have always existed, they appear to be more violent than before, and to engage in violence "for sport". Gangs are often formed along racial and cultural lines, but can also be made up of youth from widely varying class and racial backgrounds. Gangs can be either tightly knit groups or loosely formed alliances. Youth who are victims of gang violence are reluctant to report the crime. A Decima Research survey conducted in 1991 with 1,500 youths, 12 to 19 years of age, found that one teenager in five has a frightening encounter with a teenage gang, and one in ten had been physically assaulted or robbed by a gang." (28:5-6)

"Children generally want to tell about their abuse so it can be stopped, but they are often afraid that they will not be believed or protected, or are fearful of the possible consequences of the disclosure." (34)

"While there are no national statistics available on child abuse and neglect, those involved in child protection believe child abuse is both unreported and more prevalent than commonly thought." (28:4)

Violence Against Women

The shooting of 14 women at the Ecole polytechnique in Montreal by Marc Lepine on December 6, 1989..."highlighted violence against women as never before. December 6 is now known as the national day of remembrance and action on violence against women." (44)

"All kinds of women are abused: young women, older women, women with disabilities, pregnant women, poor and rich women, immigrant and refugee women and women born in Canada. Violence against women happens in cities, in small towns, on farms, and in isolated communities. It happens to women of all races, religions and social classes. Women who live in rural or remote areas face greater hardship." (31)

Rural values such as "keeping the family together at all costs", may give place to social stigmas in rural communities. "There is a negative social stigma attached to leaving in the rural communities. You just don't walk away...the tradition of violence is passed on within the family. Women are trained to be vulnerable to violence." (20)

According to a learning kit and discussion guide developed for the Lennox Island Family Violence Program "wife abuse refers to assaultive or abusive behavior committed by a man against a woman with whom he has had an intimate, sexual, usually cohabiting relationship. (Not limited to legally married partners). Abuse is a behavior which is either repeated or threatened to be repeated in such a way as to engender fear in the mind of the victim." (36)

Physical abuse: May include but is not limited to; pushing, slapping, punching, choking, kicking, throwing objects, abandoning her in an unsafe place, deprivation of food, water, clothing, confining her in a closet, room or building, using weapons against her, murder.

Sexual abuse: May include but not limited to; coerced or unwanted touching or sex with partner, withholding of sex or affection, forced sex with objects, friends, animals, forcing her to engage in sexual practices that make her feel humiliated, or degraded, denial of the woman's sexuality, sexual feelings, or desirability as a sexual partner, rape.

Emotional abuse: May include but is not limited to; withdrawal of affection, jealousy, denial of the right to feelings or emotions, put-downs, constant criticism, name calling, isolating her from friends and family, controlling her activities, denying her any personal pleasures or outside interests, destruction of property, pets or treasured objects, threats to harm friends or family, forcing her to watch her children being abused but not allowed to intervene, threats of suicide, threats on her life.

Economic abuse: May include but is not limited to; allowing a woman to have no money of her own, no money for emergencies, controlling all the money including the earnings of the woman, forcing her to account for and justify all money spent, not allowing her to earn money or improve her earning capacity.

Spiritual abuse: May include but is not limited to; breaking down one's belief system (cultural or religious), being punished or ridiculed for one's beliefs, preventing the practice of beliefs." (36)

"Often verbal, physical and sexual abuse go hand in hand. Threats and insults are followed by beatings. Beatings are followed by unwanted sex." (38) "If your spouse hits you, slaps you, pushes you, grabs you by the arms or hair, kicks you, or throws you against the wall or off a chair, this is abuse. Words too can be violent. If your spouse threatens to harm you, this is abuse. He may insult you, calling you fat, ugly, cold, nagging, or bad in bed. He may humiliate you in front of your children, your relatives, or your friends. This is abuse. Your spouse may force you to have sex, or force you to do things in bed that you do not want to do. He may force you to wear certain clothes. What you are experiencing is abuse." (38)

November 1993, Statistics Canada "Violence Against Women Survey" established that: "One half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16." (37) Other statistics report that "one-quarter of all women have experienced violence at the hands of a current or past marital partner. More than one-in-ten women who reported violence in a current marriage have, at some point, felt their lives were in danger." (28:4) As well "three in 10 women currently or previously married have been the victims of physical or sexual violence by their partner. The highest rates of wife assault were found in young couples together less than two years." (21:5)

"Forty percent of wife assaults begin during the time of the woman's first pregnancy." (31) "Abuse during pregnancy is common and includes blows to the abdomen and/or sexual assault. This abuse may result in complications such as pre-term deliveries, miscarriages and stillbirth." (27:3) "Battered, pregnant women are twice as likely to miscarry and four times as likely to have low-birth-weight infants." (28:9) "The joyful but often turbulent period after giving birth is possibly the most dangerous time for a woman subject to beatings and abuse, suggests a new medical study. Previous research by Toronto obstetrician Donna Stewart found abused women are more likely to be battered when pregnant. Her latest study suggests they are beaten even more often in the first three months after birth. The problems all new parents face after childbirth are a natural recipe for stress. But these can develop into a nightmare for women already under siege from abusive partners. (49)

"Abuse of women is often accompanied by neglect of basic health needs and financial deprivation, even if the abuser has adequate financial resources. Victims may suffer from nutritional and sleep deprivation, as well as emotional trauma. Examples of common health concerns experienced by abused women and children include neglect of basic immunization, follow-up Pap smears and breast lumps, untreated sexually transmitted diseases or yeast infections; and frequent premature discontinuation of prescriptions for antibiotics." (27:3) "Many women seek medical help for injuries or for vague symptoms such as stomach or backaches, insomnia or digestive problems." (4) "Signs and symptoms of stress include physical signs such as insomnia, high blood pressure, headaches and backaches, and psychological symptoms such as loss of temper, chronic fatigue, alcohol or prescription drug abuse, or overeating." (9) "Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia can result from sexual abuse in childhood." (28:9)

"Only about one-quarter of total wife assaults are reported to police, and less that 10 percent of all incidents of spousal violence result in criminal charges." (21:5) In particular, victims of sexual assault rarely reported the assault to the police" (37)

"Professional and lay people are frequently puzzled and frustrated by the strong emotional bond that exists between some battered women and their abusive partners. Even when it is clear that there is a high probability of future violence, some women will refuse to leave or, will return to the battering relationship. Unfortunately, the tendency of some women to stay has led many people who are in a position to help battered women to conclude wrongly that these women in some way cause the abuse or "get something out of" continuing it. Some factors have been isolated by family violence professionals:

• Frequency and severity of abuse: Incidents of domestic violence tend to increase in frequency and severity, and women may overlook early, infrequent and less severe incidents. Until there is an increase in the severity or frequency of the assaults, or the victim discovers that her children are being abused, she may be reluctant to leave the situation."
• Lack of self-esteem: Physical abuse is usually accompanied by emotional abuse: put-downs, belittling, and assertions that the beatings are "caused" by the women herself. Feelings of shame and /or specific prohibitions by the husband my serve to isolate the women from her family and friends. As the violence escalates, the increasing isolation prevents the woman from regaining feelings of self-worth. If she blames herself for contributing to the situation, she may feel internal pressure to stay and work things out."
• Financial dependence: In many battering relationships, the husband controls the financial means to allow her to leave, or to support herself and her children after leaving. Lack of job skills, high unemployment rates and discriminatory pay scales make it very difficult for women to adequately support themselves and their families, and they may endure the abusive relationship in order to have the necessities of life provided for themselves and their children."
• Feeling toward spouse and home: Within the cycle of violence, incidents of abuse are frequently followed by expressions of remorse and affection by the battering partner. For some women, these post-abuse periods become the most pleasant part of the marriage, and they may reinforce the positive feelings the women once had toward her mate. In addition, their partners' behavior; they may feel they can excuse the violence because they understand its roots. For most women, leaving the abusive partner means leaving their homes. Strong emotional attachments to the homes they have established over many years may seem more desirable, even with the violence, then the alternative of short-term shelters and longer-term uncertainty." (36)

Women stay in or return to abusive relationships for reasons that are as different as the individual women. It is important that the professionals and lay people alike keep in mind that whatever their reasons for staying or returning to the relationship, these victims of family violence want the abuse to stop." (36)

"It is very difficult for most women to leave abusive relationships of any kind. Welfare of the children, the children "need" a father, social pressure to stay, and the shame she feels on leaving, lack of education and skills are just some of the reasons that prevent women from leaving abusive relationships or from returning to them. Eighty to ninety per cent of women leave and return to the relationship more than once." (32:3)

Another form of violence against women is sexism. "Sexism is the systemic oppression of women and the perpetration of violence against women because of their gender. Sexism is a system that is based on male privilege and power. Women are devalued through under-representation in social and political institutions and stereotypical portrayals in the media. Negative social messages about women prevail in popular culture and many women suffer low self-esteem as a result. Sexism is practiced through economic inequality as well as through the perpetration and the threat of violence and sexually-based abuse." (23)

As a result of violence..."the majority of women (76%) fear using public transit after dark or walking alone, even in their own home area, after dark (60%). A substantial percentage of women (39%) fear being home alone in the evening." (25) "Abuse makes women fearful. It isolates them from friends, co-workers, family, neighbors and persons who can validate their feelings. Women feel guilty and often have an overwhelming sense of helplessness. The combined result of these factors is that abuse victims have low self esteem. They become incapable of decision making because they have been unable to make decisions." (4) "Women may miss work and community commitments. Their parenting skills may decline, some women retreat into depression or addictions as a coping mechanism. Other symptoms include an inability to deal independently with finances. Over time the woman ceases to be the person she once was." (4)

Violence Against Physically and Mentally Handicapped Persons

"Violence has a different impact on women with disabilities - often, they are not believed when they report abuse, they fear losing a needed service if, for example, they report the abuse by an attendant." (23)

"According to the Toronto Disabled Women's Network, about 80% of women with a disability will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime." (28:5) "A study of women with disabilities found that almost half had been sexually assaulted as children and one in four had been sexually assaulted as an adult. Of 245 women with disabilities, 40 % had been raped, abused or assaulted and 64% had been verbally abused." (31) "Children with disabilities are thought to have at least a 50% higher risk of being sexually abused than non-disabled children." (28:5)

"The Disabled Women's Network reports that young women with disabilities are most likely to be abused by their own parents, followed by female care-givers; many young women with disabilities experience assault by teachers, attendants, older brothers, and others. Many women with disabilities who leave an abusive situation are moved to an institutional setting where it is estimated they face 10 times the likelihood of being abused again." (23)

Unfortunately "shelters for battered women are rarely accessible to most women with disabilities." (23)

Elder Abuse

The Canadian Panel on Violence against Women defines elder abuse as..."harm done to an older person by anyone in a care-giving position, including spouses or partners, adult children or other relatives and staff in nursing homes or other institutions. It can include physical or sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect (failing to provide the basic necessities of life such as adequate food, shelter, hygiene, health care or companionship), or financial exploitation, by withholding, misusing or stealing money or possessions from older persons, or forcing them to sell personal property." (23)

Health and Community Services New Brunswick further defines elder abuse as..."any deliberate action or lack of action which causes harm to an elderly person is considered elder abuse or neglect." It may take many forms:

Physical abuse can include pushing, shoving, slapping, punching, kicking, hair pulling, or any other type of physical assault. It can cause serious injury or in extreme cases death.

Psychological/emotional abuse occurs when an elderly person is regularly yelled at, criticized, threatened with harm to self or others, threatened with abandonment or institutionalization, isolated from friends or relatives, intimidated, or is subject to inappropriate control.

Sexual abuse is any unwanted sexual act that is forced on another individual without his/her consent, including unwanted touching, kissing, or fondling. Submission under threat or force is not valid consent.

Financial abuse involves the misuse of money or property without the senior's knowledge and full consent. It can include fraud or using the senior's funds contrary to the needs and interests of the older person. Sudden changes in a will or unusual bank withdrawals may signal financial abuse.

Neglect is the failure to provide the necessities of life such as food, fluids, adequate clothing, and necessary personal care such as bathing, hair care, etc. Neglect can be deliberate or unintentional." (33)

"More than 18 000 elderly persons in Canada are subjected to more than one type of abuse.

Financial abuse is the most prevalent type of abuse, affecting 60 000 Canadian elders. It is more likely to be perpetrated by a distant relative or a non-relative than by a close family member. Approximately 12 000 seniors in Canada experience physical abuse. Victims of physical abuse are more likely than non-victims to be married. In the majority of cases, the abusers are spouses of the victim. Chronic verbal aggression, a component of psycho social abuse, affects approximately 34 000 elderly Canadians." (35)

"The abuse and neglect of older Canadians does not only occur within private dwellings in our communities. It may also occur in institutions such as senior citizen's homes, hospitals, nursing homes and chronic care facilities." (27:16-17) "An elder abuse victim can be an older man or woman of any income level, any ethnic or cultural background, in good or frail health, living in the community or in an institution. The perpetrator can be a family member, a neighbor, a caregiver, a business agent, or a stranger." (33) "One Canadian survey found that 4% of seniors, or 98,000 Canadians, 65 years of age or over and not living in an institution suffer some form of abuse by informal caregivers, neighbors and friends each year." (28:4)

Many older people tend to remain in abusive situations for basically the same reasons that younger victims do. "Many elderly women have been abused as children and as adults and they continue to suffer violence when they get older." (23) Also "Older clients may be more likely than younger ones to feel that it is too late to start a new life." (27:16-17) "Elders often do not take any action against their abusers. They may be ashamed, embarrassed, and unwilling to risk being rejected by loved ones. Victims often rationalize abuse, blaming themselves in the belief that they once hurt the abuser. Victims abused by their sons or daughters occasionally feel inadequate and embarrassed, and blame themselves for poor child rearing. Victims are usually reluctant to admit abuse is taking place and often refuse an offer of assistance. Elders would often rather endure the present situation than risk being sent to an institution." (35)

"As the problem of elder abuse has only recently come to public attention, there are few statistics on the incidence and prevalence of elder abuse. Even available figures are likely understated, as victims of abuse are reluctant to identify themselves. (35) "It is estimated that only one in 14 cases of elder abuse is ever reported to the police." (28:4)

Violence Against Men

"For men, there is a further stigma attached to being abused. There is still a general belief that a man cannot be assaulted by his partner. Victims, as a result, are reluctant to report offenses. Related reasons for not reporting are varied and can include: loyalty to spouse and family; guilt and shame; loss of economic support and perceived negative response of the police." (42)

"We have tended to believe that men are more likely to be victims of crime than women. Studies show that gender differences of victims of violent crime are getting smaller, and increases in reporting rates of crimes such as wife battering and sexual assault, are also altering the distribution of reported violent crime according the gender. Men tended to be victimized by strangers. Fifty-one percent of men were victimized by strangers compared to 20% of women." (28:3)

Other Victims of Violence

"There is increasing evidence to show that other family members may be contributing significantly to violence in the home. A national survey conducted in 1981 in the US. showed that more than eight out of ten parents with two or more children at home reported that one incident of sibling violence had occurred in the last year. These incidents range from minor to severe, but may have a greater impact than has previously been thought." (28:4)

"Two other types of violence within the family receiving attention are parent abuse (in one study, one in ten parents reported being hit at least once by their children); and parental abuse of adolescents (one out of three parents of adolescents 15 to 17 years stated that he or she had physically attacked the youth at least once during the previous year). (28:4)

As well "violence in schools appears to be on the rise as younger and younger children are arming themselves and resorting to physical violence against teachers and peers. These incidents are creating a siege mentality in some schools and may be breeding a new generation of children who are either aggressive or fearful. In a national survey, 40% of teenagers said the issue of school violence had reached a 'very serious' stage." (28:5-6)

Suicide

"One of the major risk factors of suicide is loss. This could include loss of a loved one, marriage breakdown, loss of a job or loss of one's self-esteem. Isolation, depression, and sexual, emotional or physical abuse are also among the risk factors of suicide. Relationships seem to play a big part. There may be a lot of things going on in a person's life, but relationship break-up may be the last straw." (3:2)

"A comparison of adult women victims of crime showed that rates of "nervous breakdowns", suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts were significantly higher for crime victims than for non-victims. Victims of sexual violence had more problems than victims of physical violence and robbery. Nearly one sexual assault victim in five (19.2%) had attempted suicide, compared to 2.2% of non-victims." (28:9) "Even more startling is the estimate that for every person who dies by suicide, there are 50 to 100 people who attempt to take their own lives." (46) Besides the person themselves "there are at least five people affected by every suicide or attempted suicide." (3:2)

"The unfortunate part about suicide is according to the statistics many of those who take their own lives are young. They are usually young males. Females attempt more but males complete suicide more because the method they use is usually more lethal." (3:2) "What is even more disturbing is the rise in the number of young people who see this as the only way out." (14)"Canada has the third worst teenage suicide problem in the world." (45) As well a survivor of child abuse is ..."ten times more likely to attempt suicide than those not abused as children" (28:9)

"Suicide is always a big shock - whether signs were exhibited or not. Most people believe only a certain type of person commits suicide. Jean McBrine, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association says, "Suicide crosses all paths. You cannot say one population is more prone to suicide than another - although there is some new research which indicates people who are poor have a somewhat higher rate (of suicide)." (3:2)

"About 80% of people who take their lives give warning signs," says Mrs. Jean McBrine, the executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association. "It might have been that the person was exhibiting signs, but people cannot be expected to know everything about every person. And some people could be exhibiting the same signs and have no suicidal tendencies. Family members and friends must really look at the whole person and what is going on in their lives." (3:2)

"Some of the warning signs of suicide include threats or joking about suicide, making final arrangements, abrupt changes in personality, withdrawal from friends and family, self-criticism and increased use of drugs and alcohol." (3:2) "There are at least six warning signs of suicide that everyone should know: suicide threats; statements revealing a desire to die; previous suicide attempts; sudden changes in behavior (withdrawal, apathy, moodiness); depression (crying, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, hopelessness); final arrangements (such as giving away personal possessions). If you see someone displaying one or more of these behaviors, discuss it openly with the individual and show interest by helping them find professional help." (46)

Murder and Attempted Murder

"In 1991, about one-third (34%) of all homicides where the accused was identified were committed by a family member. Fifty-three percent were committed by an acquaintance and 13% by a stranger. Males were almost 10 times as likely to be the accused in a homicide than females. Forty-seven percent of all the accused were between the ages of 18 and 29." (28:2) "A survey on spousal homicides concluded that women are nine times more likely to be killed by their spouses than by a stranger; men kill more often than women; women more often kill in self-defense or after enduring abuse; and the risk of murder increase after a separation." (39:2) "In 1991, 36% of homicide victims were killed with guns, 30% were stabbed and 19% were beaten." (28:3)

Femicide is "the killing of women by men. Femicide is usually characterized by the use of excessive brutality (for example, multiple methods of murder used on a single victim). It also includes the murder of women by their intimate male partners." (23) "Family violence accounts for 60% of female homicides." (42)

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

"Fifty-two percent of those accused of murder in 1991 and 1992 were known to have consumed a substance at the time of the incident. Among those accused of murder in 1991 and 1992, who were known to have consumed a substance, 66% had consumed alcohol; 27% had consumed alcohol and other drugs; and 7% had consumed other drugs. Sixty-eight percent of the victims had consumed alcohol; 22% had consumed alcohol and other drugs; and 10% had consumed other drugs." (28:7)

"Many men use alcohol or drugs as a shield or excuse," (20) "As well, parents who drank had emotional problems and few social ties that were healthy and strong (so these parents repeat the pattern they learned as children)." (5:1)

"Compared to women who have not been abused as adults, 40% more of battered women report use of drugs to sleep and 74% more of battered women report use of drugs to relieve anxiety. Women who were psychologically abused by their partners had five times the risk of alcohol dependency, and physically abused women had eight times the risk. A survivor of child abuse is seven times more likely to become dependent on alcohol and drugs..." (28:9)

Mental and Emotional Abuse

"Psychological/emotional abusers often humiliate or degrade their victims in public and in private. They tell their victims again and again that they are the cause of their own problems and that they are crazy. Victims, therefore, internalize the blame and begin to loathe themselves. This is reflected by the numbers of psychological/emotional abused women who seek counseling because they feel inadequate and often have low self-esteem." (23)

"Families in which abuse is most likely often has childhood of abuse, low self-esteem, few coping, problem-solving or communication skills." (5:1)

Spousal Abuse

"The criminal code of Canada provides definitions pertaining to assault and sexual assault. For example: An assault is the intentional use of force on another person against his or her will (i.e. touching, slapping, kicking, punching). It is also an assault to threaten to use force. If a person attempted to assault you but was prevented from doing so, they can still be charged with attempted assault or attempted sexual assault, depending on the circumstances." (42)

Assaults and Battery

"Physical abuse/assault includes hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, tearing out hair, burning, biting, cutting, choking, pushing, shoving, or physically confining someone. It can involve the use of weapons, such as knives, clubs, guns or objects like broken glass or furniture, which might be thrown or brandished by an assaulted. Physical violence may result in broken bones, internal injuries, temporary or permanent disabilities, miscarriages, depression, emotional trauma, or death. It can be inflicted by a stranger or by a relative acquaintance, husband or partner." (23)

"Battering is the use of violence to gain power and control over someone. Battering is repeated physical, sexual or emotional abuse. The abuse may range from insults, threats, neglect, slaps, kicks, shoving, choking, beating with a weapon, stabbing and shooting. It may ultimately end in death or suicide." (43)

"The victim's picture is one who has low self-esteem, a traditionalist, dependent, and thinks always of others. The battered usually also has low self-esteem, and has to control and dominate others, and has been taught not to express healthy emotions. He is also insecure and dependent on his spouse." (32)

"Assaults accounted for 76% of all violent incidents...reported in 1989." (28:3)

Sexual Abuse

"A high percentage of sexual assaults are planned. Sexual assault is not caused by uncontrollable male sexual impulses. Men who commit sexual assault are from every background -- rich and poor; of every racial and ethnic group; and are in every kind of job and profession. " (29:4)

"Statistics related to female survivors indicated that nearly all sexual assaults are committed by men against women or girls. Sexual assault is, unfortunately, a much too frequent part of women's lives. Conservative statistics document that 1 in 4 Canadian women will be sexually assaulted at sometime in their lives." (29:4)

"Women of all ages, physical types, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and economic circumstances are sexually assaulted; this includes older women and disabled women." (29:4) "Sexual assault can happen at any age, from early childhood to old age, it may or may not involve weapons, may or may not result in serious physical injury or death, but it almost always results in psychological injury. Sexual assault can be committed by a stranger or by someone known to the victim." (23) "More than half of all sexual assaults are committed by men who are known to the women." (29:4)

"Many women live in fear of being sexually assaulted, and are therefore forced to make special arrangements to protect their personal safety. As a result, women are not as free as men in our society. Men do not live with this same fear about, and concern for, their personal safety." (29:4)

"Most people believe that sexual assaults happens in "dangerous" places such dark alleys or parking lots. But more than half of all sexual assaults take place in private homes. Sexual assaults occur in all kinds of communities -- from large urban centers to small isolated towns or rural areas." (29:4)

According to the Criminal Code of Canada:

"An individual may be charged with sexual assault if you were forced to kiss, fondle, or have sexual intercourse with them. As well, if you were kissed or touched in a sexual way without your consent (no sign of physical injury or abuse need be present), this charge may also apply." (42)

"During a sexual assault, attempted or otherwise, if a person assaults you with a weapon (imitation or real), or threatened to harm someone else (i.e. a child), they maybe charged with sexual assault with a weapon. This also applies if a third party is involved (i.e. if they were with another person or persons who sexually assaulted you). (42)

"An individual may be charged with aggravated sexual assault if while you were being sexually assaulted, you were wounded, crippled, disfigured or brutally beaten and/or our life was endangered." (42)

"A women has the right to say "no" to any form of unwanted sexual activity. If a women says "no", she means no. The "no" does not have to be verbal. It can be indicated by gestures or turning away." (29:4)

Dating Violence

"Date rape is committed by a man against a women he knows. Any physical assault, emotional or psychological abuse and manipulation and unwanted and forced sexual acts within a relationship between a man and a woman who aren't living together do have a social relationship is also known as courtship abuse or girlfriend assault. Young women are especially targeted, as societal pressure and lack of education and services often put them at risk." (23)

"According to a Canadian survey of college and university students, 45% of the young women reported they had been sexually abused in a dating relationship since leaving high school, almost 35% had been physically abused and 79% had been psychologically abused." (28:5)

Cult and Ritual Abuse

"The abuse can involve sadistic child sexual abuse, torture, mutilation and murder that occurs in a ritualistic and often religious context. The abuse can also involve children being forced to watch ritualistic torture and the murder of other children and animals. Typically, when children are victims, the father and sometimes the mother is involved in the abuse as are other members of the extended family and members of the community in which the child lives. The perpetrators may form a community-wide conspiracy involving people with a high degree of credibility who hold positions of trust." (23)

"According to recent studies, must survivors of cult and ritual abuse report the groups that abused them were involved in child pornography. Victims of this type of abuse are terrified to tell what happened to them for fear of recrimination, and often when they do tell, they are met with disbelief." (23)

Violence in the Workplace

"It includes: verbal abuse; unwelcome sexual innuendoes, remarks, jokes or comments based on physical appearance causing discomfort, embarrassment or humiliation; display of pornographic, offensive or derogatory material; unwelcome invitations or requests; leering, lewd or provocative comments or gestures; demands for sexual favors; any unnecessary and unwelcome physical contact, from patting and touching to rape; and, physical assault." (23)

"There is evidence that abuse and assault in the workplace is an important issue. A recent random telephone survey of members of the British Colombia Nurses' Union showed that in the previous five years, 72% of its members had been abused or threatened on the job, including grabbing, hitting and kicking, verbal assaults, threats, and mental and sexual harassment." (28:6)

Robbery and Property Damage

There have been many incidents of threats of property damage and actual property damage on the farm by dissatisfied employees. Theft on the farm is another problem that is difficult to establish and correct as it is in most working environments.

"The health effects of violence are far reaching. National population-based data describing the magnitude of these effects are not yet available." (28:9) "A comprehensive analysis of the cost of violence in Canada has not been done. " (28:7-8)

"In addition to immeasurable human costs, the economic costs of violence include: work-related costs (lost work time and productivity); financial costs related to police resources; emergency and on-going medical treatment costs; hospital stays; prescription drugs; victims' counseling services; insurance claims and court actions; social services and foster homes; the costs of imprisonment of offenders; the costs of violence-induced learning disabilities and school drop-out; transition houses and second-stage housing; sexual assault centers; and programs for physically and sexually violent men." (28:7-8)

The following figures are just a few of the many costs that can be attributed to violence:

• The cost of a day's stay in an acute care hospital varies according to the treatment received and the specific hospital. In one urban center the cost of a day in an acute care hospital varied from $366 to $684. According to Statistics Canada, 102,323 days of in-patient hospital care were utilized in 1991-92 as a result of violence. This results in a cost of between $37.8 million and $70.7 million per year."
• We do not know how many emergency room visits are made every year in Canada, however, the cost of one visit in one urban center ranges from $37 to $62.
• The average annual cost of incarceration in a federal institution is estimated at $47,760 per offender.
• The average annual cost of supervision an offender on parole or statutory release is estimated at $9,422 per offender.
• The lifetime psychiatric health care costs for 15 women with multiple personality disorder, resulting from sexual abuse, is $4,144,115. The figure includes the cost of an average of 98.8 months in the health care system before diagnosis of multiple personality disorder.
• A US. study estimates the offender-related expenses for child sexual abuse to be $169,029 and $14,304 as the total expenses for the victim." (28:7-8)

Farm women believe that education and awareness is the key to eliminating family violence in rural communities for future generations. This education process should be a multi-faceted approach taken by many government levels and carried out in conjunction with private agencies, rural community residents and farm families.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure especially when it comes to domestic violence." (5:1)

There is no social need more widely spread or more costly to society than family violence. There is a critical need for collaboration between the identifiers of the issues and the various governmental and community service organizations, making use of all the available resources from across Canada..

Farm women expressed their concern that the issue of family violence should be approached in a broader manner --focusing on all victims and all abusers. As stated earlier in this document, studies are expanding the definition of family violence to include not only physical abuse, but also verbal, emotional, sexual, financial, harassment and neglect. Farm women have reported these types of abuse in their input to this position paper. Farm women say that mental, emotional and verbal abuse needs to be treated more seriously. They also recognize that women are perpetrators of this type of abuse as well as men. Farm women are very concerned that this type of abuse is a major factor in generational abuse.

This is not to excuse or justify any person for using any form of family violence nor does this minimize the widespread problem of men abusing women in order to control the women's lives. "We have tended to believe that men are more likely to be victims of crime than women. Studies show that gender differences of victims of violent crime are getting smaller, and increases in reporting rates of crimes such as wife battering and sexual assault, are also altering the distribution of reported violent crime according to gender. Recent analysis of reported violent crime shows that women are at least as likely to be victims of violence as are men (Statistics Canada, 1992b)." (28:2-3)

For the purposes of these statistics "violent crimes include murder and attempted murder, manslaughter, infanticide, assault, sexual assault, other sexual offenses, robbery and abduction. Violent crime comprises 10% of all reported offenses and property crimes accounts for 60% (Statistics Canada, 1990a)." (28:2-3)

"Among violent crime victims, women tend to be victimized by individuals whom they know. Eighty percent of women were victimized by someone they knew, compared to 48% of men. Men tended to be victimized by strangers. Fifty-one percent of men were victimized by strangers compared to 20% of women (Statistics Canada, 1990b)." (28:2-3)

"We must be cautious and realize that reported crime is an underestimate of violence in society. Frequently, violent incidents are not reported to the police. In 1987, according to the General Social Survey, 31% of all violent incidents identified in the survey were reported to the police (Sacco and Johnson, 1990)." (28:2-3) Farm women believe that punishment should reflect the severity of the violence crime. Farm women want the justice system to publicly declare zero tolerance to physical abuse.

Farm women state that family violence in any form is inexcusable. It is a problem that requires a solution by all segments of society. Family violence not only affects the family, it ripples into the community, businesses, organizations, economy and governments.

In the document "Cultivating Courage: The Needs and Concerns of Rural Women Who are Abused by Their Partners" the authors identified two definitions of the term "rural". They state that "any area with a population of less than 1000; and any area where the dominant economic activity is agricultural" is defined as rural. (16)

Participants of this position paper expressed the desire to keep our focus on rural and remote Canada, excluding towns and cities that have centralized services. This would include areas of open countryside, country people and agricultural families, along with small communities where there are no full time government service centers.

"Remote" would encompass the regions that are at a geographic or time distance from centralized services and would include people and communities that are not closely related to regions with full government services.

A "rural" definition should include considerations for the number of people involved, the geography of the areas and an identification of the industries located in the region. Industries other than agriculture are not specifically mentioned in this position paper. The input is from farm women and the information is specifically designed to relate to farm families and their needs.

It is within this context that we begin to discuss the problem of family violence in rural and remote Canada.

"The problem looms large and is more devastating for rural families when it does occur because of these factors: stress, isolation, lack of resources during a crisis, distance to help, limited access for follow-up, lack of information/education materials, and professional attitudes (barriers)." (5:1)

"Thirty-five years ago half of Canadians who lived in the country were on working farms. Today just slightly more than 10 percent of rural Canadians are farmers." (2) As family farms have disappeared, the rural community has become the residence of unrelated individuals whose lifestyles have less in common. As schools, churches, post offices, and rural businesses close, the sense of community is disintegrating. The rural infrastructure for community has been weakened and community activities have become less or disappeared completely in some communities. This directly relates to the presence of family violence in rural communities as will be shown throughout this position paper.

Due to lack of current research readily available on rural and remote regions, this position paper cannot specifically acknowledge an increase or decrease in family violence in these areas.

The Need for Sensitization of Professionals of the Factors that relate to Family Violence on Family Farms

Farm women identified three realities that they believe are triggers of family violence on the family farm:

(1) poor economic conditions
(2) long hours of labour on and off the farm (paid and unpaid)
(3) high debt loads and few solutions

Farm women believe these three factors are major contributors to high stress loads and farm families are reaching the level where they can no longer cope. The original reasoning for embarking upon this research document was the recognition that set the stage for family violence to increase on family farms. Through the grassroots input process other factors have been identified such as generation abuse and the conflict resulting from traditional male/female roles.

The following factors be will touched upon in order to demonstrate the sensitization that is needed by professionals, governments, the judicial system and community service workers when working in rural areas that are predominantly farming regions.

A. Recognizing Myths about the Economics of Farming and the Image of Farmers

"Historically supporting ourselves with hospital coverage, dental, eyeglass, and prescription needs, for example, and taking care of our own children and parents, there is shame and guilt felt by proud self-supporting families in asking for assistance." (36a:119-120)

"Economically, farming has been through much devastation in the last decade. Free trade, NAFTA and GATT are probably the first words our babies say now! There has been less money to pay for outside help on the farms and so the workload is heavier for everyone in the family, and financial rewards are no longer promised in the old work ethic. Stories of alcohol abuse, economic abuse, and psychological and physical abuse seem to be more common. Still, no one admits to knowing, for sure, if this ever happens. It is only when a marriage in our community splits up that we think that maybe those stories we heard might have been true, even for our neighbor down the road". (36a:119-120)

Limited Understanding

It has been said..."that 20-25 percent of farmers - those that are commercial or competitive produce 75-80 percent of the food we eat. In much of the world only 10-20 percent of the population has the money to be customers: the other 80-90 percent are left to go hungry as marginal and underpaid workers to provide for themselves through subsistence farming". (12:8)

This is commonly referred to as "the politics of food."

Professionals need to understand this food distribution system in order to understand the restructuring of farming and rural communities. They also need to understand this in order to understand what is happening to farm families and rural communities.

Farm women recommend that the departments of agriculture and education partner to facilitate agriculture in the classroom from kindergarten to high school. Adult education should include the complete food system and the politics of food. Courses at the university and college level should include, where applicable, this information as well.

Historically agriculture has been at the heart of rural communities. Agriculture has traditionally been comprised of basic social units called farm families who form a cooperative economic structure in order to obtain a livelihood, luxuries, social and political position. Rural is no longer just agriculture and now, due to rural restructuring, all industries are being drawn in to reflect rural. This has presented a number of challenges to farmers.

In the whole of Canada farmers represent 3% of the population while in rural communities farmers represent 10% of that rural population. While farmers only represent 3% of the population their economic contribution is in the billions annually and they representing 75% to 80% of the land base in Canada.

In order to dispel the myths and stereotypes about family farms, researchers should study the tie between the changing business of farming today and how it affects the lifestyle of the farm family. They should also understand the tie between the business of farming and the maintenance of the rural community. It needs to be understood that these realities create high stress levels and fewer community support systems which directly impacts family violence in rural Canada. This will also affect the ability to create and carry out solutions to family violence in rural communities. Researchers must use the experience and ideas of rural people.

Stereotypes, Generalizations, Assumptions

Farmers are often portrayed as hay seeders with red polka dotted hankies hanging from their back pockets. This visual depicts someone who is out-dated, uneducated and poor.

Poor, uneducated persons and welfare families do live in rural areas and are a significant part of rural service providers clientele, but generalizations should not include the farm population within this general group. In fact, not all rural residents are poor, uneducated and out of touch with urban culture.

There is a bias in research that leads to the generalization that rural and farm families are uninformed because of their rural and farm lifestyles.

Wrong conclusions are formed because professionals approach the rural and farm families with preconceived concepts, such as rural and farm people are more resistant to change.

Some other biases are rural and farm people have stronger traditions; rural and farm people have patriarchal families and rural and farm people have more rigid male/female role values.

In agriculture, professionals have an out-dated stereotype of the family farm that leads to the assumption that family farm people are equal to welfare recipients who have developed a lifestyle of subsidization. Part-time farmers are hobby farmers who are subsidized and taking advantage of the tax system. This mind set leads to development of programs and policies that have moral hazard protection for farmers who cheat the system.

"There is also a great deal of misunderstanding about farmers' incomes - another stress factor. Canadians pay less for food than most other people." (11:11-12)

"The myth that only in the cities do we find crime, delinquency, alcoholism, prostitution, personal disorganization, mental illness, non-productive work and general unhappiness is unfounded." (9)

These stereotypes and generalizations damage rural and farm families' self esteem and causes high frustration levels when they are misunderstood and misrepresented. These myths also keep policy makers and deliverers of services from targeting the real causes and finding effective solutions and they create barriers in opening discussions on rural and farm family violence.

Professionals, policy developers and program deliverers must address these biases and attitudes toward rural and farm people before they will be able to truly evaluate the factors contributing to family violence in rural and farm communities.

The new reality of modern agriculture has to be understood by all in order to make constructive change. A new definition for the family farm must to be developed. A new understanding of the sources and production of food should be promoted and a new understanding of rural and farm people needs to be established. Such an understanding would go a long way toward addressing rural problems such as low self image. These feelings of worthlessness and frustration of being out of control of one's life causes extremely high stress, suicide, verbal and emotional abuse, and battering.

The problem of limited understanding, stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions has to be examined by all those inside and outside the agricultural industry, in order to eliminate the barriers to dealing with family violence on the farm.

Farm children are often seen as the "hay seeders" kids at school. This has a lifetime impact on these children. To have been from a farm family means that you have to work harder to prove that you can achieve whatever goals you set in life, or to be seen the same as urban children. The education system should to take an active part in teaching the positive aspects of farming and the value of agriculture to all society , as well as the role that farm families play in managing the food production business in Canada. This exercise would help eliminate stereotyping for future generations.

British Colombia in an excellent example of delivering agriculture in the classroom as a method to be used to solve the problem. Farm women strongly recommend that all the provincial governments support similar initiatives. It is also recommended that the federal government reinstate the position of a national "agriculture in the classroom" coordinator.

In order for the family farm business to be seen in a new reality, the Canadian Farm Women's Network is in the process of developing a position paper called "Defining the Family Farm". This position paper will be developed through input from farm families all across Canada during the summer and fall of 1995 and will be used to address many of the stereotypes given to the family farm industry. It will also be used to educate the general public, professionals and government officials and farm families on the internal and external factors affecting the viability of the family farm and the farm family in rural Canada.

There needs to be a concentrated effort by farm families to enhance the image of the farm family. Positive re-enforcement of the farm family should start in the home and be supported by all farm individuals, by farm couples, by fellow farmers and their neighbors by maintaining high regard and respect for each other and being supportive of one another.

The farm couple must concentrate more on reinforcing each other as legal and economic partners. Fellow farmers and neighbors need to support each other as valuable contributors to society, as well as business colleagues. A conscious effort must be made by farm organizations to build in respect and support for all farmers. Agriculture awareness campaigns by farm organizations need to concentrate on food production so that the general public understands the food system.

This practice should be carried out throughout government systems if we are to change the attitudes of individuals and society as a whole.

It is the goal of farm women to change attitudes in the agriculture industry and thereby change behaviors. Family violence will stop when respect for individuals begins.

B. Recognizing Stress on the Farm

"Farming is known to be one of North America's highest stress-producing occupations, and the stress factor is growing worse. It is high time that the perpetration of the myth that there is little or less stress in rural living be squelched and that the general public realize that farm family units and rural communities have always suffered stresses." (9)

"Eighty per cent of farmers report the experience of more stress today than 10 years ago." (8) "The US. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health classifies owning and operating a farm among the top 10% of high stress occupations." (8) Farm women are asking the Canadian government to look at this factor more closely in Canada and how it might contribute to family violence.

Time and stress management have been topics on the agendas of many farm women's conferences over the past few years, but never before has the farm family reached such stress levels as in the last few years. Doctors from the Brandon University in Manitoba state that farm families have to learn to deal with stress even more than the average urban family.

"Stress may be defined as demand...stress is cumulative. We can accommodate and even benefit by small or moderate amounts of demand while excessive amounts tend to disable us. The demands we face in our daily lives affect our emotional functioning in an identical way. The concept of the straw that can break the camel's back is very accurate emotionally." (17)

According to Floranne McLaughlin, a farmer and member of the study team, little is known about family violence in rural communities. We know from other studies that family violence causes great harm to many women and children in Canada. But most of these studies have looked at urban families." (48)

CAUSES

"The hard work involved in farming may put stress on families and could lead to abuse". (48) "Stress is part of every farmer's life. It may make one person faster, work harder, and plan better. But when stress becomes distress, it threatens mental and physical health and may eventually become disabling. Farmers constantly face the ordeals of fluctuating prices, drought, accidents, family growing pains, when stress interferes with personal and family goals the quality of life diminishes. We need to recognize the stress factors that endanger that lifestyle which we hold precious." (9)

"Many do not realize the pressures on the farm family unit and the problems of coping with life on the farm. It is a struggle for the farm family to cope with rising costs of production and unpredictable prices for their products; with the climatic conditions during seeding time and harvest; with the time element of activities for both children and adults - to name only a few." (9)

"Women of Unifarm conducted a program on how to recognize and how to cope effectively with those sources of stress identified in the study. In the study on "Stress in the Farm Family Unit" it was discovered that farm finances were also part of many of the other stress-producing situations. Among other items causing stress were family, work, land use issues, farm management, health, retirement and community social problems. Finances, family, and work, were each found to more than double the stress level attached to the remaining areas." (9)

"The economic pressure, the decision-making, the high seasonal work loads, mounting restrictions, increasing paperwork, family conflicts and excessive off-farm activities are all stress factors. Farming has evolved from a largely physical occupation into one that requires more mental and emotional input; it is a lonely high-pressure job." (9)

"The authors put stressful situations on farms into six categories: financial pressure, weather unpredictability, work overload, stress from interaction with other people including family members, farming hassles including traveling long distances for goods and services, health problems, with stock or crops, operating amidst changing government regulations, and farm worries resulting from apprehension about any of the stressful factors." (9)

Exhaustion and overwork are also reasons why victims do not take steps to protect themselves and their children from abusers.

Many farmers also work off the farm or have a non-farm business on the farm. There is not the time and energy to deal with personal comfort levels or needs. These factors could overload the farm family and contribute to family violence.

In the case of farmers, multiple job roles are increased even more by the farm business.

"...Families, because of the financial strain over the last ten years and the nature of the farming family, try to cope mentally and emotionally and not ask for help (pride). When the strain would break any normal family, this sets the stage for increased arguments, conflicts, poor communication and a sense of desperation for many families." (5:1)

Family farms represent 98% of the farming operations currently functioning in Canada today.

On 60% of the family farms in Canada, farm women manage the financial affairs on a daily basis. Many of these same women, work at an off farm job in order to help pay farm bills and feed the family, as well as raise a family and do volunteer work in their communities.

Besides doing the bookkeeping, managing employees and managing the marketing of farm products, farmers are operating another value-added business or non-farm business from the home. These are the realities of the economic situation of family farms in Canada and the pressures on the farm family.

Lack of communication is another factor that contributes to family violence on the family farm. It goes without saying that the time to communicate has become a luxury that many farm families find hard to maintain. Multiple jobs and responsibilities carried by both partners means that days could go by with very little communication. High stress loads coupled with anger and frustration set the stage for handling conflicts in either verbal or physical ways that are not appropriate. Sexual relationships suffer and some family relationships deteriorate into abusive situations that leads to separation and divorce.

The farm business is also isolated from their service industry. In many cases they have to travel many miles for machinery parts, equipment and other services such as banking. This requires additional time and adds to the workload of someone on the farm, not to mention the increased cost of production. Often it is the farm woman who is expected to add these chores to her daily routine, creating work overload for her.

Another contributing factor to workload is volunteerism. This activity is increasingly encouraged by government agencies and services in areas regarding industry input into policy development and decision-making. The reality is that many farm families already have commitments to their local communities through their church, recreation councils, children's' activities or through work on boards of local business ventures. Farm families are nearing the breaking point of their ability to cope with stress before volunteerism is factored into the equation. The pressure of time commitment alone may contribute to incidence of family abuse.

Expectations of government for farm families to adapt to new trade agreements and the new rules of international trade has added a great amount of stress to farm families in Canada. Not only are farm families to produce food products, now they are expected to value add and to market their own products, even to export their products to foreign countries. This adds three new business ventures to the dimensions of farming. Along with being scientifically up to date, and aggressively business-wise, farmers also have to educate themselves in three new skill levels.

These expectations might be realistic, if the price of farm products were adjusted upward to meet the increased cost of these activities, but the food distribution system is still expecting competitively priced (cheap) food to be channeled into their system. At the current level of farm gate prices, farmers cannot remain financially viable. In order not to lose what they have worked for all their lives, farmers are abusing themselves, and their children through overwork and exhaustion.

A few sources recognized farm stress factors by making statements like.. "...urban people moving to the country may not appreciate the odors of livestock farming, and there may be conflicts over this and other environmental and ecological issues" (9)

Extended family relationships add another dimension to the family farm stress load. "Another common source of stress is the father/son, or father/son-in-law relationship. It isn't easy for Dad to let go and not give advice when his young and inexperienced son attempts to assume more responsibility by applying new ideas, which may not be financially sound. Mom tries to be the mediator." (11:11-12) This is only an example for possible conflict areas.

EFFECTS

"To exceed the range of best emotional functioning is to increase the likelihood of error and accident. Such mistakes can be extremely costly in a farming operation. Emotional overload leads to feelings of tension, short tempers, increased worry, decreased work productivity and difficulty in making decisions." (17)

"The usual image of farm life is incomplete and unrealistic. The pastoral poetry does not mention that farms have become hazardous places to live; big machinery has produced an accidental death rate on Canadian farms which is 20% higher than the national average. The Alberta Farm Accident Monitoring System has identified stress to be a major contributor to farm accidents in Alberta." (9)

Farm women tell us that high stress levels lead to increased use of alcohol abuse. Drug abuse has been identified as the over use of prescription drugs in order to cope with depression and stress. There needs to be a review of alcohol and drug abuse on family farms in order to understand the effects on the farm family as well as the family farm business. A link needs to be established between family violence on the farm and substance abuse in order to determine if alcohol and drug abuse is resulting in violence or if family violence is adding to the problem of substance abuse.

"Suicide rate for farmers is 40.6 per 100,000 compared to 18.1 for the general population." (6) "More than one in three farm fatalities is a suicide." (8)

Canadian farm women not only point out that excessive stress levels on family farms is a major contributor to family violence, they also advise that the farm family needs help to cope with that stress.

COPING WITH STRESS

Farm women are asking for rural family services to assist when there is a need for farm families to learn to cope with these high stress levels and are disparing to watch as services are discontinued in rural Canada. It has been suggested through our input process that rural health centers might be used in order to distribute resource materials to farm families and provide professional services needed to help through counseling. Counseling is seen by farm women as part of prevention as well as the "cure". Workshops could also be held on various identified stress related factors. Where health centers don't exist, possibly mobile family resource centers could be used to reach those rural and remote areas with no government service centers.

In order to target the services most needed, rural studies need to be done in all rural and remote areas of Canada, not just in urban centers of Canada. There are regional diversities and industry diversities that need to be considered in policy and program development for family violence initiatives. Even within agriculture there are different commodities. These commodities require different decision making processes and encompass different risk levels which cause farm families to experience a variety of stress levels. Various skills are needed in order for these families to cope with their personal lives. Professionals need to understand these factors in order to serve farm families.

C. Recognizing Fear on the Farm

Many farm women resist the idea of talking about fear on their farms. The reasons for this reaction are not clear, other than the fact that farm families think of family violence as physical violence. Upon looking at the fear that is present in urban family lifestyles, farm women have come to recognize that, not only is there fear on their farms, but there is also uniqueness to some of the fears on the farm.

Fear and anxiety are also factors that have unique aspects on family farms. Law enforcement officers, support groups and community service workers need to be sensitized to these realities.

One of the greatest fears on the family farm is the loss of the family farm created by economic instability. Generational labour and commitment weigh heavily especially on the male farmer, but the spouse often has an equal feeling of responsibility for the maintenance of the family farm. If faced with abuse or losing the family farm the victim will often take the abuse. The fear of causing economic ruin for the farm is a very real deterrent to victims dealing with abuse.

Farm family members are in danger of losing the family farm have to be very mature and balanced in order to avoid abusive situations among family members. Many of the farm failures occurring in Canada is due to external factors beyond the farm families control and this needs to be recognized in order for proper counseling and support services to be put into place.

Farm families live with a growing fear of not knowing what is coming next. High debt loads, loan payments and mortgage payments are daily reminders of how close they are to losing it all. These families will put up with a lot of abuse in order to try to stick together through these times. As victims, many times it is necessary to turn a blind eye to abusive situations rather than finding themselves responsible for 50% of the debt load and destruction of farm business.

Because the farm business is operated from the farm home, the victim has to consider how he/she would carry on the farm financial operation if he/she had to leave the farm home because they feel threatened and could not return to their workplace.

This would mean that the victim would lose his/her job as well as losing their business and valued business relationships. If the victim has farm chores, whether paid or unpaid, he/she feels responsible for those also.

Investments through inheritance, time and money, along with commitments to bank loans, mortgages and local business people are considerations the victim must make also. If he/she is not clear about the division of assets in the event he/she were to leave the farm, the victim would likely not choose to leave. Farm women are beginning to link with other national organizations such as the National Women and the Law Organization forming an Ad Hoc Committee on Legal Rights for Farm Women on important issues such as Economic Security for Farm Women. One of the objective is to deliver workshops to farm women on important legal issues such as Matrimonial Property Law, Inheritance and Land Ownership. This training will assist farm women to make informed decisions.

If the victim felt that he/she would be blamed for the farm business failure by the spouse and extended families, the victim would also hesitate to report abuse and likely chose not to leave the farm. All these considerations are strong factors in not reporting abuse or leaving abusive situations.

Farm women point out that to protect the victim(s) and family during the peak of violent emotions, the abuser must be removed from the family home and confined for 24-48 hours. Peace bonds and restraining orders must be put on the abuser in order to ensure the victim(s) continued safety. Violations of the peace bond could result in fines payable to the victim and continued violations will result in increases of further fines. Also, that further consideration be given to awarding custody of the farm to the victim so that the farm business is not negatively impacted by family violence.

Fear for life takes on a different aspect in rural and farm communities. Distance to neighbors, distance for police response or any other support services, coupled with the fear of being rejected by the local community is a very definite reason why victims do not report family abuse.

Farm families sometimes witness abuse of animals or destruction of property because of a partner who has reached a high stress level and who does not have the proper coping techniques. This experience may be repeated quite frequently during a period of high stress levels, so that the farm family may be uncomfortable about the abuse, but not recognize it as a threat. On the other hand, it would make members of the family fear that they would not want to cross this individual in any way. Family members need to recognize this behavior as abuse.

Lack of knowledge about the symptoms of fear, such as, depression, guilt and inability to focus on work often leads to friends and family overlooking abusive situations. More information is needed on the symptoms of fear so that farm families can recognize this aspect of family violence in their lives.

Family is valued very highly in rural areas and this strong value has become part of their survival technique for generations. Where the family violence services are lacking in rural communities, the rural family attempts to supply the support service to family members in abusive crisis situations. Due to rural families breaking down more and more, this method of help becomes less effective. The rural family also has to have two wage earners. Grandmother/grandfather have to work outside the home and community in order to prepare for their own retirement needs. All these factors contribute to the break up of the family unit.

There is also denial of fear in farm families. This is partly due to the self-reliant nature of rural and farm people. "There seems to be a general fear in the community that if we admit that family violence occurs, we are also challenging the very idea of what family means - mainly love, safety and security." (42)

This fear is a factor in denial of the presence of family violence in rural areas. Even though the family may be having problems, a lot of rural and farm people still trust family to support them more than government services. Most of them have experienced hardships accessing government services, only to find those services fail to meet their real needs in the end. A complete understanding of the system from the time of reporting abuse to settlement in court needs to be conveyed to rural and farm families. There needs to be consistency in the law enforcement procedure and the court process in order for people to trust the system to help them.

Other areas of fear and anxiety that are common to all victims are fear of poverty, fear for their children's safety, fear generated by excuses and blame, fear of not being believed, fear of the ineffectiveness of the police and justice system to act quickly in order to protect them and family, and fear of not being able to pay a lawyer.

D. Recognizing Emotional Attachments on the Farm

Farmers are often bonded to the land, especially if it is part of the family farm. To farm people the land represents the ability to provide for oneself. The familiarity, the love of rural life, the privacy, the close-to-nature belief system and close ties to rural friends and neighbors are often valued much more than life in any other setting. Only risk to the life of the children would be greater than these emotional attachments in many cases.

Farm women have pointed out that many farm men will often stay in abusive situations with their parents or siblings because of emotional attachments to the land they have always worked. This sets the stage for various opportunities of family abuse between extended family members.

Love of the children, feeling responsible for providing security in the home, security in the extended family, security in stability of schooling and in community activities, along with security with friends are all factors that most parents value strongly. Rural and farm parents have the added factor of providing the security of rural and farm lifestyles which children value themselves and do not want to leave.

Farmers are also tied by the love of the farm animals, especially if they are responsible for their daily care, most importantly feeding and shelter. The animals are often thought of as "part of the family". This bond needs to be understood by service deliverers and the justice system when making judgments.

E. Traditional Male and Female Role Models on the Farm

Though farm women do not deny that the inappropriate teaching of these role models contributes greatly to the need for men to control the family, even through the use of physical force if necessary, some farm women do not believe that rural and farm people are unique in having patriarchal family structures. And furthermore, even if a farm family is patriarchal, it does not necessarily follow through that the patriarch controls by using force.

The influence of the patriarchal family system on the family farm should be examined within the agricultural industry to see what impact it has on maintaining or increasing cases of family violence. However, this is where careful consideration needs to be carried out so that stereotypes and generalizations do not cloud the analysis.

A patriarchal family allows for the input of all family members with the oldest son having the deciding voice. This family could lend itself to family abuse, but should not be labeled "the culprit" in the family violence cycle.

There are many types of families in Canadian society today. Not all family farms are patriarchal in present reality. There are matriarchal farm families -especially in the cases where widows own and run their own farms. There is a definite increase in farms being owned and operated by women and futurists predict a continued increase in this trend. There are democratic families where all family members are involved in the decision-making process as in the case of incorporated family farms. There are communal family farms where groups of families make decisions as in the case of kibbutz, Amish, or Mennonite communities.

On the other hand the authoritarian family is a family where the man makes all the decisions and where the wife and children are not supposed to make any objections. This is the type of family that is in the greatest danger of practicing family violence because it lacks respect for all the family members as equals. Care needs to be taken when referring to this family as "traditional" and confusing it with the "patriarchal" family.

Further discussion of the farm family and their decision-making processes will be discussed in detail in the Canadian Farm Women's Network position paper on "Defining the Family Farm". This is an example of how generalizations can confuse the issue of family violence on family farms.

It is in mainstream farm organizations and government bureaucracy that farm women meet the most resistance to being treated as equals on the family farm. For example, farm organizations and boards are still male dominated organizations with only one farm woman or no farm women present. Women on agricultural boards still tend to be seen as "token women" who are not taken seriously. This is one of the most obvious places where the authoritarian family system is carried into the business of farming.

This practice should to be studied and recommendations for improving these processes need to be developed because they directly impact on the low self image of women in agriculture and they add credence to the practice of men dominating and controlling women's lives. It may be that farm men are willing to share the responsibilities on the farm, but not willing to share the power off the farm, or it may be that farm women are reluctant to take up the fight in yet another area of their lives. Sensitization of professionals in all areas of farm business and in the justice system could help promote equality of farm women in the business of farming.

It is the position of most farm women that family traditions are important. We need to be careful that we do not equate family traditions with only inappropriate male/female roles models. In cases where men are seen to be the head of the home, it should be through leadership example and consensus. This is an area of ethical and moral beliefs. Churches can have a great impact in this area of family violence, either by promoting abuse through male authoritarian leadership or by teaching spiritual behaviors that would eliminate the need for one individual to control another.

Men do not have the right to dominate other members of the family, any more than women have the right to dominate the family. Domination by physical force is totally unacceptable to farm women.

Gender role education for members of the farm family should be available to the rural family, in order to develop balanced and healthy male/female relationships.

Team management has been identified by farm women as the new wave of the future for family farms. The Canadian Farm Women's Education Council has studied farm women's training needs, resulted in "Learning Together, A Team Approach to Farm Business Management Training" which recommends a pilot research project on team training. Many farm women took part in this team training pilot project and found it very helpful in developing a working relationship with their fellow family members. This type of training could be used to assist family farm relationships to minimize conflicts within the farm family and help them work together in a democratic process.

The family is most often working together in farm business and in many cases that business is suffering from poor economic conditions with few known solutions. On many farms in Canada, the grandparents, the parents, the married children and their children are still involved in the family farm business. In some cases these families live together, or in houses on the farm property within sight of each other and share joint responsibilities in the farm business with family members and in-laws. Team management training is a good method of learning to develop better communication skills by understanding areas of responsibility, strength, weakness and expectations for each family member that works on the farm. Family farm transfer workshops would be a good tool to help work through family farm conflicts.

Sexual Harassment on the farm requires special measures. On family farms men and women work closely together in many different circumstances. This may occur in an office situation in the home, in barns and other outlying buildings, or in isolated fields.

Farm women recognize that sexual harassment in the workplace could occur on family farms when women are intimidated by men, or treated offensively through innuendoes, jokes and comments about physical appearance, but these situations quite often are overlooked by farm women who choose not to make an issue of the situation.

Inequality is also a contributing factor to be considered in the event of family violence. Gender bias within the system, sexism, the lack of recognition for the value of women's work, the division of labour and responsibilities both within the home and within the family farm business, the division of child responsibilities, and respect for each individual's rights should be treated equally for both men and women.

Farm women recommend that the federal government in connection with the justice department make a public declaration, as an ethical responsibility that the act of violence should be the basis for decision to prosecute and punish, not the extenuating circumstances.

Farm women have been conditioned from early childhood to feel responsible to keep everyone in the family happy and to meet everyone's needs, but as work loads increase, awareness is growing that family responsibilities has to be shared by both parents. Farm women still do the bulk of the housework, and child care, along with supporting their husband's emotional needs, doing farm work and community work. However, farm women do not feel this is only a rural tradition and as wives work more with their husbands on the farm, as well as, off farm jobs, many farm men are moving towards a fuller parenting role.

Farm men and women have always worked together for a living --to provide for the family and pay the bills. Farm women have always worked on the farm with their husbands. The new reality is the farm family working off the farm in order to pay farm bills and the farm family expecting to get paid for their farm work. This is putting a lot of pressure on the farm family.

It is also true that farm women are resisting changes that are leading to the disintegration of their families, rural communities and family owned and operated businesses. These are the heart of their value systems. Farm women are strongly democratic minded, community oriented and family centered. Loyalty and hard work are still part of their ethical system, although these values are coming under a lot of pressure.

F. Recognizing Verbal and Emotional Abuse on the Farm

Farm women believe abuse is cyclical and leads to physical abuse if not recognized and treated. Abusive habits are passed on by parents with high stress and inappropriate coping skills. Research states that: "Some will remain in an abusive home out of concern for the children (i.e. they "need" a father). However, some studies have shown that violence has a significant effect on children. As well, fear and guilt are common reactions of children. They may believe that they could have prevented the situation in some way or feel they were somehow responsible for the abusive situation. The children may be emotionally damaged by witnessing on-going violence. There is considerable evidence to support the "cycle of violence" theory - those individuals who were subject to, or witnessed abuse as children, may become abusers as adults." (42) (see page 18 - the cycle of abuse)

Farm women believe that verbal and emotional abuse is not unique to the farm family, but do feel that it is present in the rural and farm community and that it should receive serious attention by the justice system, the medical system and the educational system. Family services should be increased in order to deal with these problems.

This completes the areas in which farm families would like professionals to be sensitized. These factors are pointed out because these are the areas where farm families feel they need the most help from government service providers and from government policy and programs and community services.

G. Eliminating Physical Abuse on the Farm

There was no substantial amount of current research on farm violence, therefore, there is no current statistics for physical violence on family farms. However, some farm women do report that family violence is occurring on their farms. This information was contributed by farm women who are either directly affected by family violence or are associated to family violence through family members.

Access to information on the legal process, and to legal and economic counseling were stated to be a high priority for farm women who are exposed to family violence in rural communities. The need for speedy and consistent court processes was also considered essential. The Manitoba Family Violence Court was cited as an excellent example of a court system that works on behalf of the victim.

Laws concerning abandonment need to be reviewed in order to ensure that children are not neglected by the abuser in family violence cases. Victims suggest that removal of driver's licenses when in arrears on child support payments might be a deterrent. Laws need to be reviewed regarding abandonment when the abuser leaves the country and neglects to make child support payments. These laws, as well as, the monitoring systems need to be reviewed for consistency across Canada.

Record of disclosure allows third party access to personal information that may have severe consequences for victims. There must be restriction of availability of certain information that can be used against the victim. It appears to the victim that there seems to be a lot of care taken to protect the rights of the accused. Many victim(s) are still not coming forward to report the abuse or press charges due to the lack of trust in the system to protect them and their family from more physical abuse. Farm women stated that the law should mandatorily be applied (not be left to the discretion of the courts or law enforcement) to inform the victim, victim's family, and the community of the offenders pending release from confinement.

H. Recognizing Extended Family Relationships on the Farm

While extended family relationships have been and will continue to be vital to economic survival on many family farms, this extended family situation sometimes provides an opportunity for family violence in the areas of elder abuse, parent abuse and child abuse. Farm families need to be made aware of how easily these situations can happen, especially in the areas of verbal and emotional abuse, but not excluding physical and sexual abuse.

Farm families are especially interested in the issue of family violence because, unlike their urban counterparts who generally live in nuclear families (parents and their children living together) , the farm family very often lives in an extended family (parents, children, aunts, uncles, and other blood relatives, who may or may not live together) situation where there are many more close relationships.

Elders live with their children on the farm and share responsibilities like housework, child care, general maintenance and light farm chores. These circumstances could turn into an abusive situation if all members of the family are not respectful and caring. Mental and emotional abuse would probably be the most common area of abuse, where there has been a great contribution to the farm by the grandparents and yet the younger generation has "control".

During a rural and farm women's workshop on family violence, a law enforcement officer informed farm families that they do respond to some cases of elder abuse. These cases usually involve neglect, failing to provide the basic necessities of life such as adequate food, shelter, hygiene, health care or companionship. Neglect can be deliberate or unintentional. (See elder abuse, Page 26) He also stated that elder abuse is often financial abuse, which includes fraud and misuse of money or property without the elder's knowledge and full consent.

Parent abuse was reported by community and mental health personnel to be a family violence problem that is occurring in rural communities also. In the research that was done for this position paper, parent abuse was related to parents being hit by their children.

Representatives of sanctuary houses in rural areas identify incest as a significant factor in rural family violence. Two contributing factors seem to be the isolation of rural areas and the existence of more extended family situations. As well, many families still cling to the idea that family matters are not discussed outside of the home, therefore resulting in low reporting rates.

Farm women did not report this to be a problem within their farm families during this input process.

Farm women need to be able to discuss what unwanted touching means to them in their relationships , both within their marriage and in other relationships. Unwanted sexual acts, unwanted fondling or touching and the ability to say no are complicated aspects of married life that farm women confront as well as urban women.

Mental health representatives in rural areas express the concern that women realize that sexual variations such as painful, degrading, and unprotected sex along with sex that puts them at risk are also forms of sexual abuse.

Farm women state that top priority should be given to the need for education and information for rural residents in the fight for elimination of family violence.

Most farm women identify the need for a broader approach to the issue of family violence when educating and informing rural residents. Until rural residents can recognize all types of abusive behaviors and understand the far reaching effects of violence within the family, they cannot see the need for change in their behaviors.

Farm women say there is a need to develop a rural education and awareness campaign that breaks through the barriers that are keeping rural and farm families from dealing effectively with family violence. This awareness campaign needs should have an emphasis on the abuse cycle from verbal and emotional abuse to actual physical abuse. (see page 18 - the cycle of abuse)

The concept that physical violence is what family violence is all about causes people to assume that they know all there is to know about family violence. In workshops the topic of mental and emotional abuse, along with neglect, insults and threats opened a whole new view of family violence. Farm women who have been exposed to abusive situations identified verbal and emotional abuse education as important to establish more awareness and understanding..

Education would eliminate a lot of the denial in the existence of abuse in rural and farm homes and communities.

Some farm women expressed the concern that abuse against women would be overshadowed by concentration on other types of violence or on other victims. A consultation by national farm women's organizations on family violence would be a good forum to discuss these and other concerns, along with exchanges between provincial and community models that have worked successfully.

One idea expressed was that there should be lists of shelters, toll free numbers, legal services, counseling services, and support groups should be distributed to the rural population through the departments of agriculture, health and justice in a catalogue form. Another effective method of distribution could be through resource centers, community health centers and mobile resources centers.

The mobile resource centres are believed by farm women to be the most cost effective, accessible to the majority of the rural, farm and remote communities, another method of bringing the specialist, as well as, the information to the community and most importantly to the victim(s). Farm women recommend that due to the decline in services that this method be examined. Family violence must be considered for essential services to rural communities.

Canadian farm women recommend that the rural education and awareness campaign should include advertisements that are targeted at: (1) denial of the presence of family violence in rural communities and on family farms (2) persons who are geographically and deliberately isolated.

This campaign should take place over a long period of time and be done in a method that is unavoidable to abusers as well as victims. It was suggested that the main target group of this campaign should be those who have low self-esteem, are controlled, are timid and cannot search for help.

Farm women would like to see the awareness process start early in the education system and be continued through high school, using every available opportunity to educate children that there is zero tolerance for violence.

It was also suggested that community health fairs would make excellent venues for family violence education.

Farm women want abusers to be included by making them aware that they can get help in identifying what abusive tactics are. This can also be used to heal unhealthy, violent attitudes and prevent violent behaviors before their abuse reaches the stage of criminal assault.

Mens' retreats, could be organized so that men could meet to discuss the positive aspects of changing male and female roles, how to change negative behavior patterns and how to cope with the stress of these changes. They would be made aware that there is zero tolerance by society, as well as their peers, for abusive behavior and that they are personally accountable for their actions.

The retreat could have themes which would draw the abusers, male family members of the abuser, as well as, community leaders, professionals working in rural violent situations. This mix would lend itself to a peer mentoring atmosphere that promotes sharing of values, ideas and possible solutions. All of which are essential to learning and awareness.

Farm women lack the time to travel long distances, in some cases the transportation to make the most of the opportunities available, as well as, child care or dollars for child care. They need quick and easy access to information relating to family violence.

Farm women have access to many communication tools such as television, radio, newspapers, computer networks, as well as channels for information through community organizations, churches, farm organizations, commodity boards, flyers, family and friends and these mediums should be utilized to pass along necessary, helpful information on family violence.

A. NEEDS

(1) current research has been done by professionals outside the industry with very little consultation from the rural and farm people, which would enable the researchers to understand the current rural and farm family culture.

(2) current research has urban biases including stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions about rural and farm people.

(3) these stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions create barriers to analyzing the presence of family violence in rural areas.

(4) Farm women strongly recommend that researchers look at rural culture through the eyes of rural and farm residents before final analysis or solutions are developed.

(5) the portrayal of family violence is based on women abuse and battered women, and does not adequately cover all types of family violence in a balanced manner.

(6) the emphasis on physical abuse has led to the misunderstanding of what family abuse actually is.

(7) the emphasis on physical abuse has led some people to the conclusion that if they are not physically abused, then "no violence is going on in my house" (the denial syndrome).

Farm women strongly recommend that researchers look at rural culture through the eyes of rural and farm residents before final analysis or solutions are developed.

B. PROCESS

The farm women from this input process came from three areas of experience in the rural or farm community:

(1) Those who classified themselves as having no experience of violence in their homes or in their childhood. These women attended the workshops out of a desire to help their colleagues and out of a desire to learn about an issue that could affect their community or their business. Their conclusion was that there was a great need for a broader definition of family violence and that there were very many areas of family violence that needed solutions. They felt that information about the symptoms of violence, the victims of violence and the results of violence was a necessary part of the awareness process that needs to be on-going. They identified lack of visible local community information and services as a major barrier to awareness.

(2) Those who have experienced family violence personally or through family members focused on two needs - (1). help for victims of physical abuse and effective punishment of the abusers; (2). prevention by recognition, and solutions for stopping verbal, emotional and generational abuse cycle.

(3) Those support workers or community workers that work with family violence in rural communities at the present time. Their concerns and recommendations were more focused on setting up community solutions for the abused.

"Research into the prevalence of woman abuse in rural life is limited. Of five major studies on incidence of woman abuse in Canada, only one in Alberta included both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas." (16)

Therefore, farm women are asking that more concentration be put on researching rural and farm women abuse, along with child and elder abuse and the abuse of the disabled.

The Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation in New Brunswick is currently doing a research project based on the needs of abused women in rural and farm communities. Jennie Hornosty, a UNB professor of sociology and coordinator of the research project, points out that the study focuses on family violence in rural communities. "If we are to deal effectively with this issue, we need to understand how battered women in farm and rural communities experience the problem of violence and identify the resources and supports that are available to them. The causes and character of family violence here may be quite different from large urban centers where much of the research has been done. The population here tends to be located mainly in small, often isolated rural communities or in small urban centers that contain rural characteristics. Traditional urban strategies in prevention, intervention and treatment may not be appropriate." (47)

Farm women state that differences indeed do exist between urban and rural factors involving family violence, and that these differences have an impact on the outcomes of the offense in rural, farm and remote regions. These factors should be explored further to understand the differences. Therefore farm women are asking that a broader approach to research in rural, farm and remote regions is required to address all types of abuse, while always looking for prevention methods.

Rural family violence studies are being done looking at mainly one abuse area, women abuse, and even in those studies there is not a complete understanding of all the rural and farm family stress factors involved in family violence. The rural, and especially the family farm stress factors must be studied closely and analyzed accurately in order for changes to be made in farm lifestyles to combat potential family violence situations.

It is the goal of the Canadian Farm Women's Network to lead in filling the gap in the research process through this paper and the documented rural and farm family input into family violence research in rural and remote Canada. This research will come directly from farm women in all regions of Canada.

Stereotypes of rural and farm residents, along with generalizations that do not correctly reflect the realities of the agriculture industry, lead to incorrect assumptions by these researchers and this needs to be identified and effectively eliminated from research.

For example, the education levels of farm women have been documented in a study completed to identify farm women's training needs. The Canadian Farm Women's Education Council's study shows that "85% of Canadian farm women have at least a high school diploma, while 36% have earned a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree." (26:10)

The misperception that education is limited to formal education needs to be corrected in order for researchers to understand that farmers see education as "the process of development in knowledge, skill ability or character by teaching, training, study or experience." (1) Farmers are using many new types of farm machinery, storage facilities and office equipment that are the latest in new technology. Many farmers attend conferences, commodity board workshops and seminars in order to up-grade their education. Because certificates are not given for years of practical experience and many of their training courses, farm families are often viewed as uneducated. This misperception needs to be addressed through documentation and certification.

According to the financial survey, "An Economic Overview of Farm Incomes by Farm Type, Canada, 1992" by the Agriculture Canada, Policy Branch, ..."47% of the farms had net operating incomes of less than $10,000. Operating losses were reported by 21.7% of farms in 1992 while 11.6 % had net operating incomes in excess of $50,000." (24) For some farm families this continued lack of personal income and high debt load carried over from year to year leads to high stress levels which can and does contribute to family violence.

The Farm Debt Review Board works with farmers in financial difficulty under (section 16,FDRB Act), or facing a seizure of assets, foreclosure (section 20, FDRB Act). This act has benefited many farmers, their families and farming operation by having an impartial third party facilitate the restructuring of debt load between the farmer and his/her creditors. The fact that this board was made up of non government persons provided the needed impartiality which promoted trust from the farmers and the creditors. This process conducted financial analysis of the business, referral to needed business professionals, government agencies, as well as, personal counseling services related to stress and emotional difficulties.

The Farm Debt Review Process has been terminated in 1995. The decision to eliminate a proven program that is assisting farmers at a time of rapid change due to restructuring, farming economic instability and the negative impacts this causes to farm business and farm families is a concern to farm women. Although the Farm Debt Review Process may not address the specific needs today that it was designed to do in 1986, such as high numbers of foreclosure, as well as the farm debt review fund, it would still be most beneficial to farmers if a method of farm financial review, facilitation between farmer and creditor to restructure debt, referral to professional services were kept in place or developed into a more suitable program, with the addition of assessment of operation for business opportunities and markets.

Researchers must study the effects of high debt loads in farming and the results of this stress concerning family violence. This is necessary in order to provide effective tools to social workers and mental health personnel to understand how best to help.

There is a need for professionals to have more education in family violence, special sensitization and training for those professionals working with rural and farm communities.

Canadian farm women feel research and studies should include subtle traditional, generational and cultural factors in order to recognize all types of family abuse.

Some provinces already have a few rural family studies completed. One that was recommended during this input process was "Cultivating Courage", "Ingamo House", a rural report that can be obtained from the National Clearing House on Violence Against Women. One of our farm women, Donna Lunn, has also written an article in the Country Guide called "Stress and Farm Families". Other sources of rural family violence information could be obtained from Linda Reith of the Rural Women's Shelter Program, Guelph, Ontario, and from the Women's Rural Resource Centre, Stratroy, Ontario. There is also a Family Studies Section at Guelph University.

It has been suggested by farm women that all available rural studies that relates to the farm family and their lifestyles be identified by researchers to see if they are current. These resources should be documented and listed within a national clearinghouse for rural and farm studies.

Farm women think that there must be community and societal ownership of the problem of family violence.

Farm women want to be included in consultation processes that affect rural farm families with regard to rural and family services.

The community and society must take responsibility for family violence. We can no longer accept its presence is our society. There needs to be heightened awareness and actions to prevent family violence from happening to anyone, especially our children.

The "Fear on the Farm" video and video guide, co-sponsored by the Canadian Farm Women's Network has been used in a community leadership workshop in order to develop community-based steering committees who in turn develop solutions that meet the needs of their own particular community. This is an example of community ownership of the problem of family violence. Farm women want government to partner in these efforts by supporting these projects.

The rural community is seen by the rest of society as people who have a certain "lifestyle" and this image of peaceful valleys with "quiet folks" living there has become a source of pride for rural communities and farm families. This concept of rural living is a factor leading to rural people and farm families not accepting the presence of family violence in their communities. Denial by rural communities and farm families also leads to the lack of recognition of the problem of family violence in rural communities by centralized decision makers. It is very difficult to examine family violence in rural regions and on the farm, as there is a stigma of "Not Here" or "Not Us".

The Canadian Farm Women's Network through consultation with farm women has sited that community ownership of the family violence problem is a necessary and effective method of building awareness and definition of family violence, while obtaining a commitment from community leaders, businesses and organizations to "O" tolerance of physical violence in the community. This first step leads to "community" solutions designed specifically to fit the needs of the victim(s), families of victim(s) and specific community needs and responsibilities. Farm women have initiated this concept and this method is being conducted in many rural communities in 1995. Farm women recommend the support of government towards this initiative in rural, farm and remote regions of Canada.

Rural and farm residents have problems accessing information due to lack of local rural service centers. Professionals, including police, shelter workers, counselors, doctors, nurses, teachers, and ministers do not always understand the inability of victims to find information about services and contacting agencies and using these resources effectively. Phone calls are often long-distance, show up on phone bills and it costs money to phone or drive. Professional services need to have 1-800 numbers, clinics close to families, and resources visit homes/schools/churches.

Farm women want rural communities to participate in the education process by making local facilities available to promote information on family violence.

Drop-in Centers could to be set up in rural communities where used clothes, and food is readily available for families in crisis. A children's play area and a craft activity could make this center a natural stop in the rural community. Resource materials and lectures could be held on parenting skills, self reliance, and a host of other topics that relate to family violence.

The rural communities are dying. Many rural communities have lost their post offices, general stores, health centers, government services and in some cases, churches and recreation centers. There is an assumption that rural and farm residents know what is available in urban centers simply because they exist and the service people know they exist. Unless there is a dire need, rural residents do not have the time or money to make several long distance calls to various government departments to access information. Farm women call upon the government to be responsible to make certain that there is access to the information.

Farm women list essential services as:
(1). toll free numbers;
(2). transportation arrangements;
(3). safe havens;
(4). trained support personnel sensitized to the rural culture;
(5). treatment programs for men and women;
(6). twenty-four hour counseling service for legal, financial and emotional needs;
(7). subsidized secondary safe homes for up to one year with compulsory personal development training for women and children;
(8). twenty-four hour trained local assault team;
(9). drop-in center for food, clothes, toiletries, furniture and financial help; and
(10). crisis/data centers as examples in Saskatchewan.

The resistance to change is not from stubbornness or lack of creativity for farm people, it is that farm people pride themselves on being practical and sensible. Trends are not easily followed until proof is shown. This strategy needs to be remembered when approaching the topic of family violence. Some rural people question if all the awareness campaigns aren't just the "newest trend". It needs to be proven to them that there is indeed family violence, how it takes its toll of farm families and what is costing their society, their businesses, their communities and their families.

Isolation is a major factor in family violence in rural communities. "This is easily accomplished given the distance to neighbors and friends if phone calls and driving is controlled/restricted by the husband. Men who want power and control often manipulate the living arrangements so their family is virtually captive and the rest of the world is excluded. These types of men need to dominate so they yell, threaten, undermine, attack, humiliate, and deprive their family (secretly) in a desperate attempt to gain self-esteem and position." (5:1)

Victim in rural areas..."do not have public transportation, they live in isolation, with family and /or friends at considerable distances, most phone calls are long distance and vehicles that might be on the property are often under supervision of the people they try to get away from." (15:3)

"Few places are available to turn to for support. In order for rural women and isolated women to have access to transition houses or counseling, they may have to travel for long distances, often without a vehicle to transport them. They thus stay locked within their intolerable situations." (32:3)

"The loss of a sense of community through greater mobility, larger urban centers, and the changing nature of family also creates isolation. These factors result in a greater desire for individual survival and a weaker sense of social responsibility for others." (28:4)

"Changes are occurring in living styles, environment, methods of education and health treatment and in ways of relating to each other. Rural life is becoming more and more urban-oriented. Roads, radio, television, and newspapers have widened the horizons of rural people in general, and there has been a decline in kinship and personal neighborly relations." (9)

The above quotes are all factors that farm women experience in their rural communities and on family farms. They also note that rural communities are aging and there are less children in rural communities. This will impact on community activities and solutions.

Law enforcement officers identified isolation as an unique circumstance for rural residents. Distance, response time, and availability of police officers compound the effectiveness of law enforcement in rural areas. Often victims will not carry through and testify in court because their fear of the abuser getting back at them is magnified due to the remoteness, distance or isolation of the home.

Community models across Canada need to be identified and publicized to local community leaders. The Rural Women's Shelter Program, a Rural Awareness Campaign, the Rural Women's Resource Center, a provincial conference on Rural Domestic Violence and Rural Health Centres are all examples of communities models that have been suggested by our Ontario farm women.

Organizations such as the Canadian Farm Women's Network has a goal of working for the betterment of Canadian farm women through improving their social, economic and legal status on family farms in Canada.

Many farm women still do not refer to themselves as farmers, but as farm wives, and farm women. In many cases, farm women are still fighting for recognition as business partners in family farm businesses due to the fact that they have large investments of time and money in many family farms in Canada. They also have co-signed farm debt in many cases. Statistics show that farm women on 60% of the family farms in Canada are involved in the financial management of family farms.

Currently farm women are, in many cases, not paid employees of the family farm. Their contributions through housework, child care, preparing meals for farm workers, running errands, banking, keeping financial records, providing transportation for farm workers, and general farm labor are often seen as volunteer labor. If a farm woman is not paid for her labor, she cannot collect unemployment insurance, or contribute to Canada Pension Plan. She also cannot participate in workmen's compensation or cannot afford health care benefits. In many cases her husband's insurance will not cover her because she is classified as volunteer labor.

Farm women are paid employees of the farm business risk losing their jobs if they decide to leave an abusive situation on the farm. It was recommended that compensation for this job loss be undertaken by Unemployment Insurance coverage due to the special circumstances of employment on the farm. Due to immediate financial need in these circumstances the usual waiting period should be waived. Farm women understand that these circumstances are usually covered by the Income Assistance but they also see the need to maintain their right to UI benefits the same as any other employee. There is also the stigma attached to receiving Income Assistance that farm women would like to avoid.

Awareness campaigns and provincial workshops on family violence are being planned to create awareness for government as well as farm families. The Canadian Farm Women's Network is currently involved a coalition project at the national level with other national farm women's organizations and with the Women and the Law organization, to examine the legal and economic status of farm women on family farms in Canada.

This will have a positive impact on how farm women view themselves and how they relate to their husbands as business partners. It is their goal to have this impact the whole agriculture community and give them access to decision making levels in agriculture policy and programs.

In July, 1994, a Declaration for the Advancement of Farm Women was declared at a Federal/Provincial Agriculture Ministers Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. So far this declaration has only been a verbal assent to the position of farm women in agricultural policy development.

Farm women need to be not only verbally recognized as partners in agriculture, but also to be taken seriously by government policy makers by being included in all aspects of the development of agriculture policies and programs. Farm women have experienced condescending attitudes from government officials who question the knowledge and experience of farm women, thus their credibility, into the decision-making processes.

Farm women need to be supportive of each other as their peers achieve their goals and move into positions of recognition or better themselves financially.

Statistics that show the true facts about farm families (farm income, farm family paid and unpaid labour and investments from off farm work) need to be developed and publicized so that the agriculture industry and the general public realizes their importance to the farming business. These facts need to be understood by the law enforcement officers and the justice system when handling cases of family violence that have occurred on family farms.

Many farm men recognize their wives as valuable business partners, but there is still a need to reinforce this concept and to promote more acceptance throughout the industry.

Farm women identify "assets and farm equity" as a major problem when they leave an abusive situation and have to enter a sanctuary house. Immediately they have to fill out a financial plan and this is used throughout the court process. If they separate from their spouse, who gets custody of the farm? If they are abused why does the husband get to stay on the farm and she have to leave it?

Some farm women have invested personal inheritances into the family farm. Many farm women have invested years of unpaid labour. Some are investing off farm wages into the family farm. Most farm women are required to co-sign mortgages and loans in order for the farm to buy machinery or obtain operating loans.

In the case of divorce, division of property can be a real eye opener for the spouses and during an abusive situation the victim is often blamed for all of the financial problems.

Many family farms are facing economic crisis due to erratic weather conditions, uncontrollable disease and the restructuring of agriculture. Fear of further de stabilizing the family farm is a very strong motivation for many farm women to stay in abusive situations. In many cases there is no cash accessible to take the initial step. Fear of poverty without a home is greater than poverty at home.

As the following statements show, fear of poverty is one of the main reasons why women stay in abusive situations:

"Noted criminologists believe we increase the potential for persistent offenders as more families live below the poverty line, more children experience school problems and drop out, and more families fail to provide consistent care for children." (28:12)

"For many (women), the choice is between this life or a life of poverty and fear for not only herself but also, her children. If a woman is fortunate enough to have somewhere to go as well as the support of family and friends, she probably has little or no financial resources at her disposal." (42)

"She may have no money, no job, and not know where to turn for help for herself and for her children. This can be true, whether her spouse is rich or poor." (38)

Added to these general concerns rural women have a problem of distance from the job market and urban child care facilities. Transportation is also a problem. There are no buses in most rural areas and the cost of taxis is prohibitive. Rural women must have a car in order to participate in educational opportunities or secure a job. The cost of traveling to an urban job and owning a car, insuring it, licensing it and maintaining it requires the rural woman to have a job that is feasible in order for her job to be worthwhile.

As well "women who work at home... live with the stigma of being defined as "not working". As a result of this dependency, large numbers of women and children are unable to escape from unhealthy or abusive situations." (13)

We also need to remember that studies tell us that family violence happens in families of all classes of society, rich or poor, but poverty complicates the process of halting family abuse.

Researchers make the following observations about women and their role in decision-making processes:

"There is a social assumption that men are in charge and women behave. Abusive behavior by men is tolerated." (20)

"Aggressiveness and assertiveness is valued in men, but not in women. We need more assertive and articulate women. We are both human - have rights and responsibilities." (20)

"In many instances, it was the man's role to even exert physical power to maintain family control. This long tradition still lies behind the hesitation of institutions to intervene in family matters." (32:3)

"Socialization begins at birth. Boys learn to behave actively and aggressively, girls learn that they are rewarded if submissive. The framework for abuser and victim is established, with children quickly learning that boys are more important than girls. Women and children are further "disempowered because of their lack of participation in decision-making." (32:3)

"Historically, violence against women by their husbands has been condoned. As an example, a man could beat his wife with a stick, provided it was no wider than his finger. This was known as "the rule of thumb". Sex was also a right of the husband. These ideas reflected the general view of society that the wife was subordinate to and the property of her husband. As a result, she was to be treated and punished as he saw fit." (42)

"She may have been brought up to accept all responsibility for the marriage and to feel guilty for any trouble. She will try harder to please her spouse, as they both believe her job is to please him. If he isn't pleased, she thinks it is her fault." (38)

"These patriarchal and adult-centered systems establish men's dominance over women and adults' over children, and affect every system that deals with violence - the family, the community, the justice system and the health care system. The systems perpetuate power inequalities and, hence, foster violence." (28:12)

Farm women believe it is important to look at the past experiences of women in order to evolve into a zero tolerance society, recognizing that it takes time to create balance in male/female roles and positive change.

All these circumstances create financial insecurity for farm women and put them in the place of being financially dependent on their husbands. She is unable to take care of herself, let alone her children. This financial insecurity complicates a family abuse situation and will often prevent the victim from leaving.

A Rural Child Care Coalition was undertaken by national farm women's organizations in order to raise the awareness of the need for flexible rural child care. This Coalition was the result of a national conference on Farm Women's Employment Need, in St. Anne De Beaupre, Quebec, on November 20-22, 1992.

At this Conference farm women recognized the risks to children who live in the farm workplace. As well, as a result of this conference farm women asked for flexible rural child care to be subsidized by the government the same as it is in urban centers. Many farm women have stated that child care choices do not exist for most rural families in Canada. This situation only compounds the stress endured by rural families.

To date there is still no national rural child care program. A few pilot projects were carried out and were very successful models that could be used in other areas of Canada. A commitment from government has not been to made to develop this project into a program. Farm women feel that they have made every effort to provide safety for their children, and in many cases, have no other options but to take them with them to farm jobs.

Farm families must drive their children to an urban day care facility many miles away or else leave the children in unlicensed facilities for which they will not receive day care subsidies like their urban counterparts.

Another alternative to these day care arrangements is to leave their children with a grandmother or other relatives who ends up subsidizing the day care needs. There is also the reality that many grandmothers are working or do not live in the same community. If the mother does leave her children with her extended family it means that someone in her family loses the freedom to maintain a good living for themselves, creating more poverty in rural communities.

These extra costs and distance factors often lead to rural women deciding to stay at home. This causes her to lose job skills, education and the ability to be economically independent. She also becomes isolated from her neighbors, friends, family and urban resources by her stay-at-home activities.

The family becomes a single-wage earner family and often falls below the poverty level. This family is under a great deal of stress and especially vulnerable to family violence.

It needs to be pointed out that there is a definite tie between farm child care needs and the cheap food policy of the Canadian government. "Bill Weaver, Ontario Federation of Agriculture vice-president responsible for labor, says the farm community promotes child safety by educating people about hazards and he warns grocery costs will rise if government stops the use of child and teenager labor. It adds to the efficiency and low cost of producing food here in Ontario. Consumers should be aware of that. Kinney agrees keeping costs low is the major reason children are put at risk." (19)

"Thousands of youngsters across Ontario are risking their education, health, and even their lives to work hard hours on our farms and in our cities." (18)

There are those in society who blame the farm family for putting children at risk on family farms in Canada and United States. Some are calling it child abuse.

"It's child abuse, " says Joseph Kinney, director of the National Safe Workplace Institute in Chicago. "What else do you call it when kids are intentionally exposed to well-know hazards. We've become blind to this brutal reality, but farmers say chores done by children and teenagers are essential for economic survival." (19)

"The main barrier to change is the farm community itself. Research in the United States and Canada shows:

• About 53 per cent of farmers consider driving a tractor a low risk activity for a 7 to 9 year-old.
• Tractor operators under 14 are involved in nine times as many accidents, per hour of exposure, as are workers 25 to 44 years old.
• About 65 per cent of farm boys are operating a tractor at 10 - 12 years of age. About 27 per cent - more than one-in-four drive tractors at 7-9 years of age.
• Workers' Compensation Board statistics show that 76 people, 15 and 16 years old, received major injuries on farms over the last two years. That's just a fraction of those hurt, since most farmers aren't enrolled in the compensation system. And the board doesn't track workers 14 and under." (19)

"There's no law setting an age requirement for farm work. There's nothing limiting the number of hours children work. And there's no prohibition stopping children as young as 7 from operating heavy machinery like tractors. Children lose arms and lose legs. They're maimed for life, and there's no system for reporting it," says Steve Zronik, spokesperson for Ontario's Farm Safety Association. The association runs campaigns warning of hazards and monitors deaths using police reports. Those figures show tractors are a major killer of young people." (19)

"Often training consists of: "Here's the clutch, here's the brake, put it in gear and away you go." I've seen it time and time again, you've got a child operating a tractor and he can hardly reach the steering wheel." (19)

"In rural Ontario, children as young as 7 are put to work driving tractors and doing other hazardous chores. With at least 30 dead in the last dozen years, they're paying heavy price. Kids in the prime of life are being ripped apart by machinery," says Steve Zronik of Ontario's Farm Safety Association. Society offers little protection for its youngest workers. Under the law, a youngster of any age can drive a tractor of do other farm labor. There's no limit to how many hours an employer can demand from a teenager employee. And there's no cap on how late students can work." (18)

Absence of income to pay farm labor, sometimes means that the parents of farm children may leave children alone in the house while doing farm chores, or place them in dangerous situations on the farm. This should be recognized by farm families as a potential "abuse" situation--either from the feeling of being left alone or neglected, or from the danger of accidents that cause physical harm.

Health care personnel state that no thought is given to "distance" to services. Waiting lists are occurring in the public health care system in regard to referral for early childhood intervention. Mental health personnel state that only the severe cases are getting attention.

Services are often based on regions that are too broad geographically, spreading the few service providers too thin. Slow response times for police contribute to dangerous situations. Ambulance and fire department services are in a similar situation. Winter road conditions often make it impossible for rural residents to travel for long periods of time to services in urban centers. Electrical and telephone service repairs are often delayed by distances as well. Cut backs in personnel have affected all these services to the point of inefficiency and inconvenience to rural residents. All these lack of services hamper the resolution of many family violence problems in rural Canada.

Farm women report a lack of safe homes in rural areas. Often sanctuary houses are long distances away from their communities, the children's school, their families and friends.

Women are reporting greater financial hardship during their stays in safe homes than they often had in their own homes. This, coupled with long delays in the court process, means that many of the victims go back to abusive situations.

It is especially difficult for rural women to leave the security of their homes because of the rural lifestyle and farm jobs to which they and the children have become accustomed.

Saskatchewan has just recently introduced a domestic violence bill which removes the abuser from the home and leaves the victim and children in the home. Farm women wholly endorse this practice provided the victims can be ensured safe conditions in their home by a twenty-four to forty-eight hour confinement of abuser and peace bonds and restraining orders for the abuser, along with rural communities, support systems (i.e. assault teams).

Most community service providers require distance traveling in order to visit the farm family and do not visit frequently enough, therefore, the farm family has to learn to provide its own needs the best they can (i.e. medical procedures normally undertaken by a nurse or doctor).

Timing for ambulances, police, as well as, accessing professionals and counselors is very often not adequate. Accessibility to the services that are accepted in urban centers are not always available to rural residents.

The cost to the family of traveling to the required services is sometimes prohibitive to proper care and can be life threatening. Rural facilities are either not local enough or not accessible. Mobility is often limited.

It is essential that we all have good physical and mental health in order to combat situations of family abuse. Counseling and self-help for people in the farming business are two forms of service that are missing from the farm community in many provinces These should be classified as essential services.

Physically and mentally handicapped members of a farm family could easily be neglected because of lack of accessible rural services. As centralization and regionalization has occurred in Canada and local hospitals are closed or downgraded, medical services are located hundreds of miles from the farm family in large cities.

Specialization in professional services means that special services have been centralized, often at great distances from rural and remote regions. Identification of problems could easily be overlooked, because general practitioners do not have the time or mandate to study special cases.

The farm family, who are highly stressed and working long hours, often does not have the time needed to identify the problems and access the material or services needed for special treatment. Accessing specialized information becomes virtually impossible.

Because a major factor of farming is physical activity, disabled farmers have special needs for specialized equipment. There is a disabled farmers organization that has been formed to deal with these special needs. Farm women support this organization and coordination between such organizations and government bodies should be heightened.

Centralization of governments has led to withdrawal of many support services to farm families and lack of accessible expertise with knowledge of unique rural needs.

Canadian farm women express concern that governments should be responsible to provide adequate services to rural residents and should meet the needs of rural Canadians. Economic pressures and government budget decisions are dismantling the social tools and structures needed to eliminate family violence in rural areas, such as professional counseling services, safe havens, family services, and treatment programs.

Farm women state that a position paper on rural health issues should be done to determine the affect of lack of rural services to some rural communities. These services are essential to dealing with rural family violence.

"Family violence is a complex issue involving many jurisdictions. One important consideration when viewing the problem of family violence from a federal perspective, is the constitutional division of powers in Canada in the fields of health, social services and the administration of justice. Thus, provincial and territorial governments, together with many service-providers, professionals in local health, social services and law enforcement and the voluntary sector have the responsibility of delivering services related to family violence." (30)

"Family violence is a complex problem that requires the involvement of us all. Assisting spousal assault victims cuts across many service systems and institutions and demands coordinated response to a complex need. All of us can make a difference by acting when incidents of violence become known to us. We must also challenge the values and assumptions that underlie family violence. Family violence is not a private problem." (42)

"This issue is so fundamental that services in this area must be classified as essential services, not services that can be agreed to voluntarily by local community. Safety and security of a person is as important as feeding her/him. Public policy does not allow people in Canada to knowingly starve, remain homeless, leave diseases untreated or fail to be educated. Why then should people be permitted to go unprotected or go untreated because the violence occurs in the home or between people in relationships of trust and intimacy? There has to be acceptance that services for victims and offenders are essential and therefore should not fall under the CAP funding arrangement." (30)

"An all-party agreement that has a chance of outliving the life of any one government is necessary if an effective strategy is to be realized. The long-term haul aimed at changing fundamental attitudes and values about power, control and domination through a comprehensive educational approach would likely span at least two generations." (30)

"Both federal and municipal governments have a role to play. The federal plays its role in funding initiatives including training, research and public education. At the municipal level projects directed at violence through advisory groups and communities have proven to be helpful. Both share in finding ways to make safer communities..." (30)

"Governmental and non-governmental organizations concerned about violence work collaboratively to address the societal basis of violence; that is, our tolerance for violence and the social and economic conditions that allow violence to flourish." (28:v-vi)

Recommendation 1

to continue the research and study of family violence, prevention of physical, emotional and mental abuse, treatment and support for victim(s) and offenders in rural, farm and remote regions.

to sensitize support resources who service rural, farm and remote regions (in particular to Justice, Health, Human Resource Development and Agriculture) to the frightening reality of abusive personalities fueled by isolation, distance, economic hardship, substance abuse and high stress. It has been found that situations become further magnified by the changing roles of men and women in these regions.

Recommendation 2

That the Federal Government publicly declare (Prime Minister with the Minister of Justice) that "physical violence is a criminal offense that carries "0" Tolerance in Canada and to promote this declaration through a public awareness campaign.

that there is no social need more widely spread or more costly to society than family violence.

that there is a critical need for collaboration between the identifiers of the issues and the various government and community organizations.

Recommendation 3

That the Federal Government facilitate an effective national consultation process on family violence in rural Canada by including the leaders of the National Farm Women's Organizations with Justice Canada, Health Canada, Solicitor General and Agriculture.

that these departments develop a program which will support the funding of national consultations for National Farm Women's Organizations and farm women leaders in Canada on critical issues pertaining to family, violence and farm.

that a committee of non-government national organizations whose mandate and constituency covers rural, farm or remote regions be included for consultation purposes on family violence occurring in these regions.

that the process allows the organizations to be prepared, in order to bring forth effective and realistic ideas.

that the consultations result in effective action and accessibility to information.

Recommendation 4

That the federal government commit to partnering with other applicable federal government departments in support of a sensitization and awareness program, directed at government service providers that focuses on the different factors that affect family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.

That this sensitization program acknowledges that stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions create barriers that prevent us from creating awareness on finding solutions to family violence in rural, farm and remote regions of Canada.

That the federal government solicit the provinces to acknowledge, support and partner in delivering a sensitization and awareness in the provinces.

Comment:
There are regional diversities, industry diversities and distance factors that need to be considered in policy and program development for family violence initiatives. Even within agriculture there are different commodities thus differences in responsibility and decision rationalization. Various skills are needed in order for these families to cope with the various crisis situations in their lives. Professionals need to understand these factors to serve farm families.

Recommendation 5

That the federal government make a public declaration of commitment, as an ethical responsibility, to adequately fund family violence services in rural, farm and remote regions.

That the federal government start by evaluating programs for family violence delivered in rural, farm and remote regions and assess their effectiveness or existence.

That priority should be given to programs and services that affect protection, safety, support, prevention and treatment for abuse in rural areas and on farms. (refer to specific recommendations under departments)

That there be a commitment to support pilot projects in order to demonstrate new ideas, such as "community ownership workshops" that works towards prevention of family violence.

That decisions and changes are always based on current information on family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.

That recommendations for decisions and changes come from the input of organizations including farm women's organizations whose mandate and constituency covers rural, farm or remote regions, and/or individual residents of these regions.

Comment:
"There was agreement that if the federal government is serious about ensuring viable alternatives to victims and their families so that real choices exist, then the services required by victims and perpetrators would have to be declared mandatory with the necessary changes in funding arrangements in place to meet the demand for help." (30)

Recommendation 6

That the federal government continue to strengthen its leadership role in identifying emerging social issues and problems and encouraging innovative ways of responding to the concerns of family violence, while using the input of their farm, rural and urban constituents to develop coherent national strategies for family violence.

In partnerships and collaboration with provincial, territorial governments, communities and the voluntary sector in efforts to find solutions to family violence. The federal role is to develop coherent national approaches to family violence.

To develop national messages which are based on a set of working principles which form the basis for every aspect of the federal "Family Violence Program" and the first working principle be "O" tolerance of family violence in Canada.

That there is equal access to information in every region of Canada including rural, farm and remote.

That federal family violence programs be developed without stifling the ability to be flexible according to circumstances and diversities.

Recommendation 7

That the federal government conduct a study to identify and evaluate the differences between urban and rural family violence in order to provide a current statistic and measurement of similarities, differences, proven programs, costs and needs.

Recommendation 8

That the federal government initiate meaningful, participant-focused, practical research to help establish what methods and services work, what does not work and tie these to the proven services for family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.

This information becomes valuable to communities when assessing community needs, comparing these needs with proven services which gives the information to examine what can or cannot work in their community.

The importance of using non-government organization from rural, farm and remote regions to conduct research is necessary to gain an inside perspective of the factors that are unique to these regions.

Decisions and recommendations for effective family violence programs would come from this participatory type of research.

Recommendation 9

That the Federal Government with Justice and Health take the lead and declare that services for family violence victims be classified as essential services.

That this directive must be linked to all institutions and systems so that every Canadian accepts it as her/his responsibility to respond to victims of family violence with consistent respect and urgency of their status.

That institutions be sensitized to the facts and systems be developed to address the unique differences in rural, farm and remote Canada.

Comments:
There seems to be a general fear in the community that if we admit that family violence occurs, we are also challenging the very idea of what family means - mainly love, safety and security. This fear is a factor in denial of the presence of family violence in rural areas . Even though the family may be having problems, a lot of rural and farm people still trust family to support them more than government services. Most of them have experienced hardships accessing government services, only to find those services fail to meet their real needs in the end. A complete understanding of the system from the time of reporting abuse to settlement in court needs to be conveyed to rural and farm families. There needs to be consistency in the law enforcement procedure and the court process in order for the people to trust the system to help them.

Recommendation 10

That the federal government make all research findings on family violence easily accessible and in a language and format that everyone can understand.

That there be a section that reflects rural, farm and remote regions and that more information be listed in this section than is available currently.

If information is lacking on essential topics it is further recommended to conduct the necessary research to address the need for change based on current information.

Recommendation 11

That the federal government host an annual national conference dealing with family violence in order to promote the sharing of strategies, procedures and ideas for the purpose of working towards a common goal, as well as;

To include representation from National Farm Women's Organizations.

Developing recommendations to the federal government for future action.

Publish the proceedings of the conference for general distribution in government and to interested organizations.

Translate the proceedings of the conference into two official languages and in plain language.

Recommendation 12

That the federal government continue to fund the National Clearinghouse for proven resources and widespread use.

Due to a lack of documentation available through the Clearinghouse, include current material on rural and farm family violence research.

Include new and forthcoming material on rural and farm family violence.

Recommendation 13

That the federal government commit to on going education and training focusing on eliminating gender bias while providing services to the Canadian public.

Recommendation 1

That the Department of Justice Canada take the lead to promote "specialized family violence courts" in all provinces and territories that do not currently have them (Manitoba's Family Violence Court could be used as a model).

To take care of the interests of the victim.

To expedite processing of family violence cases.

To ensure rigorous prosecution and appropriate sentencing.

To achieve a level of consistency not possible in a regular court system.

To specifically train court officials to increase awareness and alleviate problems of biases about family violence.

To specifically train court officials to recognize that family violence cases are different from other cases.

Create a mobile system for rural and remote areas.

Comments:
"Assault cases are not all the same, especially those involving family members. As well, the number of arrests slowly and steadily increased, putting pressure on the courts to deal with the problem. Another problem was the attitudes toward family violence cases. Crown prosecutors did not consider family violence cases a priority." (7)

"Rather than try to change the whole system...the more expedient solution was to create a specialized court." says Jane Ursel, a sociology professor at the University of Manitoba. "A specialized court permits people...to understand the dynamics of family violence and understand the ambivalence victims are feeling and their sense of powerlessness and concern of outcome in a better way than what is general courts now. Crown prosecutors had to change their idea of success, which in the past meant getting a conviction. The new way of thinking is not to get a conviction, but to take care of the interests of the victim." (7)

"With a court sensitive to the dynamics of family violence, the reports of violence increased. This created a demand for more support services. The court also hears most cases in three months and there has been little backlog." (7)

Recommendation 2

That the Department of Justice Canada promote/increase the flexibility of the justice system by encouraging judges to take the responsibility they are empowered with to hand down stiffer sentencing to family violence offenders.

By sensitizing judges through workshops, focus groups with victims, focus groups with offenders, focus groups with colleagues designed for dialogue and action planning and developing recommendation to change obsolete and ineffective existing laws.

To prevent unacceptable decisions by judges - that is allowing the proven offender his/her freedom from consequences to their unacceptable violent and criminal actions due to loopholes in the law.

To encourage judges to be responsible to the victim(s) by making decisions based on the circumstances of each individual case of abuse.

Recommendation 3

That the Department of Justice Canada recognize by legislation that mental and emotional abuse are acts of violence.

Measured by victim's mental assessment.

Measured by physical evidence of neglect or risk.

Recommendation 4

That the Department of Justice Canada review existing provincial and territorial laws, compare similarities, evaluate effectiveness, develop consistency based on proven effectiveness, and implement the proven ones in provinces and territories as needed when dealing with family violence cases across Canada to guide all provinces and territories to equal action in rural, farm and remote regions, as well as, urban.

That the processes be documented in a understandable way, with resources, services, addresses and phone numbers listed and given to the victim at the initial contact by police.

That this information be accessible through other sources and organizations in the region as well.

That this information be kept current on an annual basis.

That the responsibility of the gathering and cataloguing this information be at the discretion of and funded by Justice Canada.

Comments:
Fear is a factor in denial of the presence of family violence in rural areas . Even though the family may be having problems, a lot of rural and farm people still trust family to support them more than government services. Most of them have experienced hardships accessing government services, only to find those services fail to meet their real needs in the end. A complete understanding of the system from the time of reporting abuse to settlement in court needs to be conveyed to rural and farm families. There needs to be consistency in the law enforcement procedure and the court process in order for the people to trust the system to help them.

Recommendation 5

That the Department of Justice Canada commit to evaluating the judicial process in order to shorten it which could eliminate obstacles that create major fears and barriers for the victim.

Fear for ones life.

Fear for family.

Loss of business.

Loss of income.

Loss of job.

Loss of home.

Loss of community.

Recommendation 6

That the Department of Justice Canada create a law to remove the abuser from the home when the charge of abuse is laid at the time of the incident.

Leaving the victim in the security of the home.

Minimizing the negative financial impact on the victim.

Minimizing the negative financial impact on the family or farm business.

To maintain the operation, care of livestock, employees and farm business relationships.

Recommendation 7

Recommendation 8

The impact to victim(s), business, and community.

Cost to victim(s), business, and community.

The psychological impact to victim and the family of the victim

Recommendation 9

That the Department of Justice Canada develop a law making it mandatory to confine the abuser in jail for at least 24 or 48 hours.

Immediately following the incident.

Decuring the safety of the victim(s) and the family during the abusers peak of rage.

Leaving the victim(s) in the security of the home.

Recommendation 10

That the Department of Justice Canada make legal assistance accessible to all victims based on documented abuse not perceived personal financial status.

Legal assistance not based on perceived assets and equity in cases of farm families.

Recommendation 11

That the Department of Justice Canada develop a ruling to implement uninsurable fining for peace bonds or restraining orders as a deterrent to abusing the order to keep the peace and restrain oneself from the victim.

A time frame be applied to an order period.

That the fine be payable to the victim upon violation.

Repeated violations will result in increased fines and extensions of the order.

Recommendation 12

That the Department of Justice create a ruling that forces the abuser to pay for the needed labour on the farm to replace themselves if it is necessary that they be removed for the safety of the victim and family.

That this be enforced by the courts.

Recommendation 13

That Justice Canada create a mandatory ruling that allows the judge to give custody of the farm business to the victim, if the victim is a spouse, parent or son/daughter that is a working partner in the farm business.

Recommendation 14

That Justice Canada develop a ruling which would it mandatory for the abuser to be responsible to make restitution or compensate for all costs incurred by the victim as a result of the abuse.

When offender is unable to pay, community work should be implemented accordingly.

Recommendation 15

That Justice Canada create proper procedure to require Crown attorneys to interview victims in an expedient manner in order to have the case preparation completed well before the court date. That this procedure developed and implemented in 1995/96.

To lower the frustration, confusion and fear of the victim.

To have effective case preparation in order to obtain convictions of the offender.

Recommendation 16

That Justice Canada commit to develop a monitoring system to track and implement consequences to the crown attorneys who fail to prepare their cases in a reasonable time period.

Recommendation 17

That the Department of Justice Canada support the development of catalogued information on all legal processes applicable in family violence situations (the reporting process, the family court process etc.) that is accessible through;

Using available rural infrastructure (i.e. churches, recreation centers).

Using rural mobile resource centers.

Using existing rural health centers. Using existing rural "drop in centers".

Using effective plain language.

Recommendation 18

That the Department of Justice Canada partner with the provinces to support the development of an crisis line that is consistent and will provide assistance to rural, remote and farm communities.

Developing crisis centers in all provinces and territories focusing on consistency by using existing provincial models that have proven successful. (Refer to the province of Saskatchewan as a possible model to follow).

To make information more accessible to the victim by networking the victim to essential and necessary services.

Recommendation 19

That the Department of Justice Canada develop a law making it mandatory for police to inform victims of the pending release from confinement or probation of the violators.

Notices be given to neighbors of the perpetrators release.

Notices be given to community leaders of a perpetrators release.

Recommendation 20

That the Department of Justice Canada promote court-mandated counseling for convicted perpetrators while in confinement and parole in all provinces and territories.

In conjunction with a fine, community service and/or confinement in jail.

Probation services oversee the counseling process and ensure that the perpetrator is receiving the appropriate counseling.

Recommendation 21

That the Department of Justice Canada declare all established forms of pornography illegal.

Illegal for sale to all ages and genders in Canada.

Illegal to produce and distribute pornography to all ages and genders in Canada.

Illegal for adults to participate in or solicit minors to participate in the production of any form of pornography.

Recommendation 22

That Justice Canada be responsible for gender bias training/sensitizing of judges and crown prosecutors that service rural, farm and remote regions.

Recommendation 23

That the Department of Justice Canada commit to mandatory training for the Judicial System (in particular judges and prosecutors that work in rural, farm and remote region) so that they will be sensitized to the unique aspects of rural and farm family business in the event of family violence.

That the remote and isolation factor be taken into consideration for rural and farm business which contributes to the victim's safety and accessibility to the business.

The necessity for the on going operation and maintenance of the rural and family farm business must be taken into consideration.

The necessity for care of the livestock/produce must be consistent for safety and production.

The necessity for victim to maintain their job related to and contained within rural and farm business.

The necessity for sensitivity for the rural and farm business relationships to be consistently maintained.

That the sensitization be passed on through input from rural and farm organizations as well as rural and farm research.

Recommendation 24

That the Department of Justice Canada be responsible for training/sensitizing judges for the need to sentence according to the severity of the crime in family violence cases.

To use their power, to be flexible according the circumstances of each individual case.

Recommendation 25

That the Department of Justice Canada establish a ruling that prohibits defense lawyers from using delay tactics and technicalities that will slow or dismiss the conviction which put the victim at risk.

Recommendation 26

That the Department of Justice Canada establish a law empowering the courts to take away driver's licenses from parents who are delinquent in child support payments until their debt becomes current.

Recommendation 27

That the Department of Justice Canada have mandatory training and education focusing on family violence for the resources that service rural, farm and remote regions.

Probation services develop family violence divisions within provincial and territorial structures.

Recommendation 28

That Justice Canada develop a program that will provide support for training for farm families coping with family violence, on legal process, laws, available services and economic security for farm family abuse victims in Canada.

Recommendation 29

That the Department of Justice Canada research the need for an abandonment law that enforces child support from a supporting parent that has left Canada.

Recommendation 1

That the Solicitor General of Canada develop clearly defined methods and procedures to assist police in being more effective when dealing with family violence in rural, farm and remote regions in Canada.

That law enforcement officers make the victim aware of support services available in their area.

That law enforcement officers acknowledge the emotional trauma of the victim and notify the appropriate support personnel;

Should support personnel not be available in a region, that law enforcement become a voice to community organizations to address this need.

That law enforcement officers be sensitized to extract statements from traumatized victims.

That law enforcement officers be current on the judicial process when dealing with rural family violence situations and inform the victim of where to get the necessary information to assist them through the process.

Recommendation 2

That the Solicitor General develop a procedure for accountability with a monitoring is strategy and activate for police that do not follow the Justice Department's policy that mandates police to lay charges where evidence exists.

To eliminate undercharging of offenses and loosing the ability to lay charges and convict.

That police be accountable for not using proper evidence gathering techniques that would give them enough evidence to prosecute even if the alleged victim is too afraid to show up in court.

Also, that a training program be developed to sensitize law enforcement about the various forms of abuse to child, elder, women and families and the forms of abuse can take, such as emotional, sexual, neglect, risk, verbal, financial and physical. This information is essential for police to be better prepared to interview for proper statements and gather pertinent evidence.

Recommendation 3

That the Solicitor General recognize the need for change to policing jurisdictions for law enforcement in rural and remote areas from a population basis to a geographic and industry based jurisdiction.

In order to provide law enforcement that is timely for crime prevention and life threatening situations in rural and remote areas.

To bring down the barriers of isolation to families in rural and remote regions.

To explore other alternatives such as trained community volunteer assault teams that can respond to assist the victim(s) quickly and be there until police arrive on the scene.

Recommendation 4

That the Solicitor General of Canada train and educate law enforcement to assist them in being more effective when dealing with family violence situations in rural areas and on farms.

Be sensitized to rural family violence in Canada.

Educate law enforcement officers to the many forms of violence, not just physical abuse.

Conduct gender bias training for law enforcement.

Recommendation 5

That the remote and isolation factor be taken into consideration for rural and farm business which contributes to the victim's safety and accessibility to the business.

The necessity for the victim to maintain his/her job on the farm.

The necessity for ongoing operation and maintenance of the rural and family farm business.

The necessity for care of the livestock/produce.

The necessity for sensitivity for the farm business relationships to be consistently maintained.

That the sensitization be passed on to law enforcement agencies through input from rural and farm organizations (i.e. using the Canadian Farm Women's Network "Fear on the Farm" video and study guide)

That law enforcement keep current with family violence support services and resources in their jurisdiction.

Recommendation 1

That Health Canada publicly declare that family violence is a major health issue and to promote this declaration through a public awareness campaign in 95/96.

That the term family violence include: emotional abuse; verbal abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse and neglect.

That the awareness campaign direct its focus on the Canadian public, health organizations, family service organizations, law enforcement, judicial system and any other applicable family violence resource organization or departments of government.

Comments:
Health reform must include a shift in our conception of health care from a curative, technologically and professionally driven system, to a preventive, community-based and consumer-driven one. Within such a system, violence could be more readily identified as a major health issue; one that is influenced by all the broad determinants of health and, in turn, impacts the health of the community at large as well as its individual members. The Canadian Farm Women's Network has undertaken to develop and deliver "Community Ownership" workshops directed at family violence in rural Canada.

Recommendation 2

That Health Canada commit a study in its health reform initiative, to examine a shift from a curative, technologically and professionally based driven system, to preventive, community based and consumer-driven one and that this study is designed to examine if this concept can work in rural, farm and remote regions of Canada for family violence.

To examine if family violence and its impact to the victim's health could be more readily identified as a major health issue in this type of system in rural, farm and remote regions.

To understand whether this system could influence the broad determinants of health and in turn, positively impact the health of the community at large as well as its individual members.

Recommendation 3

To develop a consistency of service and a more concentrated effort to assist the victim with practicality that fits with their needs and interests of the victim.

To begin to address the frustration, cost and time of distance travel for multiple appointments at uncoordinated times. To limit frustration of the victim having to repeat and explain themselves over and over to multiple resources.

Recommendation 4

That the Health Canada make a public commitment to increase funding for programs directed at prevention of family violence, education on family violence and counseling treatment for the victim, family and offender.

A new focus on violence prevention is an appropriate means of reorienting the health care system.

That Health Canada monitor and ensure (by working with rural and National Farm Women's Organizations) that the training is designed to meet the needs and interests of the victims / offenders, in order that the counselor may be most effective.

That Health Canada monitor the quality training in counseling treatment services be consistently delivered to applicable resource personnel responsible for rural and remote regions.

Programs must cover the whole spectrum from health promotion to treatment i.e. Healthy equal relationship.

Community involvement.

Responsibility for self-empowerment.

Higher standards for effective intervention in violent situations; protection for those vulnerable to violence; weapon control regulations; substance abuse prevention; conflict resolution courses; family support; sexuality education programs to address isolation and disadvantage.

Comment:
Increase funding for counseling and treatment programs for victims and offenders and emphasize prevention.

Since the health care system continues to focus on alleviating disease as opposed to looking at the root causes of ill health, it tends to ignore the origins of violence and concentrates on the symptoms of physical and psychological injury. Consequently, professionals fail to take measures to prevent further violence.

Violence prevention and effective support and treatment of victims and abusers will require the shifting of resources from existing programs and the creation of more integrated, innovative health programs. A new focus on violence prevention is an appropriate means of reorienting the health care system.

Recommendation 5

That Health Canada direct the National Clearinghouse include in its list of research and reading more specific information about family violence and its impact to mental and physical health in reference to family violence situations in rural, farm and remote regions.

Recommendation 6

That Health Canada make a public commitment to develop new and more effective methods of working with social services and justice services to provide a integrated system that will prove to be less frustrating and more beneficial to the victim(s).

That data-gathering methods be developed for the purpose of sharing case information from service to service, in order that frustration and stress levels are brought down for the victim(s)

Comment:
Violence is an issue for the health care system because of the sheer numbers of clients affected by the overall effects on health. Too often, violence and its consequences are not recognized and addressed as a major impediment to health. Health professionals have the opportunity to detect and offer treatment to victims of violence, but in many cases they do not offer effective support and assistance.

Recommendation 7

That Health Canada support an innovative study to look at the human and financial costs of violence in rural, farm and remote regions in Canada.

That this study improve knowledge to assist in the development of a more cost effective and time saving system to provide health care to victim(s) of family violence .

That this study reflect the needs and interests of rural, farm and remote regions in order that improvements be made to accommodate the victims' needs and interests in these regions.

That Health Canada use the experience of national farm women's organizations for the development of sensitization material for family violence resources servicing rural, farm and remote regions.

Recommendation 8

To develop relevant, effective, cost saving and life saving methods of dealing with family violence in rural, farm and remote regions.

To implement a program that partners with the provinces to supports health fairs.

Recommendation 9

That Health Canada be responsible to see that health care providers be sensitized through ongoing education and training to the unique aspects of rural, farm and remote regions in the event of family violence.

That the sensitization be passed on through input from rural and farm organizations (i.e. using the Canadian Farm Women's Network "Fear on the Farm" video and study guide)

Recommendation 10

Material should written in effective, plain language.

Using available rural infrastructure (churches, recreation centers).

Using rural mobile resource centers.

Recommendation 1

That Agriculture Canada work in conjunction with other federal departments in government such as justice, health and the solicitor general to support the family violence initiative. Agriculture Canada can accomplish this by working with national farm organizations through program funding and contribution in kind for projects that are working to eliminate family violence on farms.

To endorse a healthy farm family, healthy farm business and a healthy industry free from family violence.

Recommendation 2

To assist farmers and farm families to cope with high debt loads that create high stress and can result in family violence.

Recommendation 3

That Agriculture Canada commit to an effective national consultation process on family violence in rural, farm and remote Canada, by including the leaders of the National Farm Women's Organizations, as well as, Justice Canada, Health Canada, Solicitor General and Human Resource Development.

That the process allows that the coordination be handled by the National Farm Women's Organizations.

That the consultations result in effective action and accessibility to information.

To develop a program which will support the funding of national consultations for National Farm Women's Organizations and farm women leaders in Canada.

Recommendation 1

That Human Resource Development Canada make changes in the UIC program to allow victims of family violence in rural, farm and remote regions who are losing access to their jobs in their family farm business, due to family violence.

Unemployment Insurance benefits to replace lost salary.

No waiting period without finances to address immediate needs.

Comments:
The rationalization of this recommendation for Unemployment Insurance rather than Income Assistance is to acknowledge and document that the victim has a credible working position on the farm that is lost when they are forced to leave due to family violence situations. This documentation is essential in the courts when the victim is trying to prove their right to return to their home and farm business which are tied together on the land and financial statement.

Further rationalization is to remove the stigma of receiving Income Assistance rather than earned Unemployment Insurance. This stigma has often prevented the victim from leaving an abusive situation.

Recommendation 2

That Human Resource Development Canada replace Agriculture Employment Services to identify regional farm labour needs with the input of farmers, recruit quality labour and promote training for farm operator and farm labour.

To assist in crisis situations of labour needs.

To assist farm women to improve their economic security through access to training.

To develop a directory of certified child care givers in rural regions, that provide flexible child care on the farm.

To provide training in acceptable workplace conduct and gender bias.

Recommendation 1

That the provincial departments of education participate in a federal initiative sensitization program acknowledging that stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions create barriers that prevent us from developing awareness and finding solutions to family violence in rural, farm and remote regions of Canada.

That the provincial education systems take an active part in teaching the positive aspects of farming and the value of agriculture in society, as well as the role that farm families play in managing the food production in Canada.

To support agriculture in the classroom initiatives. (B.C. can be used as a possible model)

Recommendation 2

That the Department of Education adopt a long term prevention strategy of family violence through mandated education beginning in daycare and continuing through all school curricula up to and including university education. Suggested types of subjects include:

• non-violent problem solving
• analysis of patriarchy and link to family violence
• link between sexism and family violence
• links between chemical use/abuse and violence
• teaching parenting skills
• family violence and socio-economic policies
• pornography, prostitution and link to violence
• building healthy relationships, self-esteem
• responsible gender equality
• valuing individual rights
• effective communication skills
• anger management

Recommendation 3

That the Department of Education's teaching professionals be sensitized through ongoing education and training to the unique aspects of life in rural, farm and remote regions, especially in the event of family violence.

That this sensitization be passed on from the input of rural and farm organizations (i.e. using the Canadian Farm Women's Network "Fear on the Farm" video and study guide)

Sensitization must reflect a realistic picture of family diversities, not always safe and warm, no standards of "perfection". Some concern has been expressed about the present trend which seems to be emerging in some areas to return to a more traditional view of the family. This was seen by some to be a dangerous trend promoting something that really never did exist.

Recommendation 4

That the Department of Education promote the coalition of provincial literacy agencies with rural, farm and remote community organizations, businesses and churches with program criteria developed to attract and assist victims of family violence that fall into this category.

To empower and enable this victim to potential job security.

To provide accessibility of services for the victim in their own communities.

Glossary of Terms

FAMILY:

TRADITIONAL FAMILY

VIOLENCE

FAMILY VIOLENCE

DYSFUNCTIONAL

FAMILY FARM

FARM BUSINESS

RURAL COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP

"O" TOLERANCE

REMOTE

RURAL RESTRUCTURING

Adjustment, re-building, re-arranging rural communities.

1. Barhhart, Clarence (Editor). Thorndike Barnhart Comprehensive Desk Dictionary. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company. 1962.

2. Brown, Alice. Armegeddon of Agriculture. Fifth National Farm Women's Conference. London, Ontario. November, 1991.

3. Corbett, Connie. Jean McBrine: 'Suicide Crosses All Paths'. The Daily Gleaner. 11 February 1995.

4. Davis, Faye and Janice Gingell. Provincial Association of Transition Houses Saskatchewan. 13 September 1994.

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