It’s more than just the Chevin that divides Otley and Wharfedale from the urban sprawl of Leeds and Bradford. Although much of the area is within Leeds and Bradford local authority boundaries, it feels like a world apart.

It’s more than just the Chevin that divides Otley and Wharfedale from the urban sprawl of Leeds and Bradford. Although much of the area is within Leeds and Bradford local authority boundaries, it feels like a world apart.

There’s a widely held perception that the area is simply the tranquil home of wealthy middle class professionals. Perhaps because of this perception, or perhaps because of the sheer scale and visibility of the problems of inner city Bradford and Leeds, residents of Otley and its neighbouring towns and villages often feel that their own problems are overlooked and their experiences ignored.

It is well documented that domestic violence is not particular to areas of high population density or certain social or economic groups. How the violence manifests itself, how and why it remains hidden and the experiences of women trying to seek support or escape will be affected by these issues, but domestic violence remains a reality for many women and children across the social, economic and geographic spectrum.

Organisations which support women affected by domestic violence are naturally clustered in urban centres such as Leeds and Bradford, serving the huge needs of the inner cities and surviving in part through economies of scale. Leeds in particular has some of the best resourced domestic violence services in the country, although that isn’t saying much considering the relatively low levels of funding directed towards such projects.

For women and children in the surrounding rural areas, Leeds often means little more than the name at the top of the council tax bill. The city’s services can seem distant, inaccessible and geared towards the needs of women living in the crowded city rather than those living in small and often isolated rural communities.

For one local woman, the lack of appropriate services and awareness of the issues in the Otley area was unacceptable. In 1996, she put an advert in the local paper and, with the help of another woman and the local Community Development Worker, a grass-roots women’s support project was set up.  Before long, a basic volunteer-run information and helpline service was established but the group soon realised that they were up against some major difficulties. Service provision in the area was non-existent, awareness of the issues was low and many local agencies felt that the issues were either irrelevant or that they would be unable to deal with them.

Research
In 1998 the project stepped up a gear and began intensive research into the experiences of local women affected by domestic violence. As can be expected, the report, funded by Awards for All, made grim reading.

The women affected by domestic violence who responded to questionnaires and interviews were a reflection of the wider population in terms of employment, housing and marital status. This confirmed that domestic violence was occurring across the economic and social spectrum. Their experiences were also reminiscent of other similar research: mental and emotional violence was experienced by all the women, threats or fear of physical violence by 79 percent, 64 percent experienced physical violence, 50 percent had money withheld and 21 percent had suffered sexual violence. Racial abuse was also experienced.

Research into public awareness and the local support available also showed that there was an enormous amount of work to be done.

Nowhere to turn
The research revealed that the limited, non-specialist support  available to women affected by domestic violence was often failing them. Of the women affected by domestic violence who expressed an opinion, half found social services unhelpful, while a third found the local housing department unhelpful. The Samaritans, local doctors and the women’s families were also felt to be of limited use. One woman recounted how her local housing department more or less said that she should put up with the issue (of domestic violence), being already adequately housed!

The level of specialist service provision in the area was almost non-existent. There were no places of safety for women and children in the area and no appropriate professional counselling or advice services. A chronic shortage of affordable local housing also made leaving difficult, either for the women or their violent partners.

The ‘small town’ nature of the area makes anonymity difficult and there is an general sense of denial and a need to maintain social peace, or at least the appearance of it. For at least one local woman, this social peace cost her dearly. Her husband, a “really nice bloke” according to many local residents, stabbed her to death while the children were away with relatives.

Despite horror stories such as this, and the truly shocking statistics about the scale and extent of domestic violence, there is still local resistance against taking on the issues and accepting the scale of the problem. This was illustrated when local schools were approached. Some where keen to take the issue on, but many said that domestic violence simply didn’t affect their children. Many other local agencies put their reluctance down to a lack of time and resources.

The way forward
It isn’t all doom and gloom though. The local police, along with their counterparts across West Yorkshire, have transformed their approach to violence against women and children and most of the women interviewed by the project had found them helpful. The local Citizens Advice Bureau along with some local health visitors, solicitors and churches have also been providing invaluable support and advice to local women.

The project has now secured funding for a three year community development worker to build on what exists and to challenge the shortcomings in the area. The new worker has already begun to implement an action plan that came out of the research, which includes:

• further development of the volunteer run helpline
• providing safe space for women to meet   
• developing local information   
• accessing financial support for women   
• providing one-to-one support   
• developing group work   
• raising public awareness of the issues   
• developing strong inter-agency working & networking   
• encouraging training within agencies and promoting best practice   
• encouraging near-by services to extend into the area

From the research, what seems critical for local women in the area is access to appropriate professional services, especially advice and counselling. The project’s helpline, which has been run for some time, is therefore a major priority for development.  From this, women can be given the best possible advice for their circumstances and can be referred on to the most appropriate service where necessary.

However, travelling to Leeds or Bradford is simply not an option for many women. If other services are to be provided, they will have to be brought into the area or developed locally. Local agencies also require appropriate training and information. In particular, they need to develop the confidence and skills to take a pro-active approach, identifying the signs and providing the appropriate environment and interpersonal skills to encourage disclosure.

Many specialist skills and services already exist in nearby Leeds and Bradford, and the project recognises that making these accessible in the area makes more sense than re-inventing the wheel. There are already moves afoot to bring or encourage some of the key agencies into the area, and one specialist accommodation and counselling provider is already in discussions with the group about a joint outreach project.

The project is also realistic about what can be achieved in a rural area. They have put a great emphasis on volunteering to deliver helpline services and see community development as the way to a sustainable future. Assertiveness training is already available for local women, and other activities such as IT training are being considered as a way of working with local women to raise awareness and encourage involvement.

Over the next few years, local support groups will be established, moving the project towards a user/survivor led approach and enabling peer support. A local inter-agency forum will be revived and training and policy support offered with the assistance of other domestic violence services.

Recognising and meeting the needs of a rural population can be challenging and, if the wrong approach is taken, can produce poor results at a high cost. However, as has already been tragically shown in the area, the cost of not taking action can be much, much higher.

Organisations and individuals interested in this project should contact Kate Goodwin at Behind Closed Doors, c/o Otley Civic Centre, Cross Green, Otley LS21 1HD. Tel: 01943 850555Close