The Provision of Support and Advocacy for Rural Victims

Abstract

Availability and accessibility of services and supports for victims of crime is a long-standing issue in urban locations where resources and infrastructure are far more extensive than in rural locales. The resource-intensive task of supporting victims of crime is widely acknowledged generally; however, far fewer studies have focused on how place and space exacerbate access issues for rural victims. This chapter presents the barriers to help-seeking for rural victims of crime, including an overview of how being distanced from support services, difficulties accessing public transport, and socioeconomic barriers can impede access to appropriate supports for victims in rural locations. Attention turns to the role of the victim-advocate in rural communities and the ecological factors affecting their work, specifically the ability to undertake effective advocacy in the unique social setting of rural communities. Drawing on an exploratory study of rural victim advocates in 16 rural locations in the Mississippi Delta Region, the chapter canvasses the multiple challenges in undertaking advocacy in non-urban settings. What effective advocacy and support may look like in rural locations and how this can be achieved through alternative/creative mechanisms of support provision completes the chapter, providing guidance for future practice.