Sexual assault, domestic violence survivors in Utah rural areas face more barriers to assistance

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ST. GEORGE — Greater than 200 survivors sought assist in 2022 on the DOVE Middle, which has supplied a useful resource for people experiencing home violence, sexual assault or human trafficking in southern Utah for 30 years.

Lots of of survivors search care, however Bailey VanOver, a program coordinator at DOVE, stated that many survivors nonetheless do not report or search providers.

“We’ve got discovered from shoppers that there’s a false impression that DOVE doesn’t present providers in Kane County, and the space to St. George is a barrier for a lot of,” VanOver stated. “Even when shoppers are knowledgeable that they’ll entry DOVE providers over the cellphone, most survivors of rape and sexual assault choose to satisfy in individual.”

The DOVE Middle presently has three areas in St. George and Washington. These embody a confidential shelter location, the group’s foremost workplace and a confidential transitional housing location.

Discovering accessible assets is very tough for survivors in rural populations, which is why the DOVE Middle is taking steps to interrupt limitations confronted by rural survivors and enhance its rape and sexual assault providers in Kane County, beginning in Kanab.

“COVID intensified these limitations,” stated DOVE Middle Government Director Jillian Penhale. “Though the group was in a position to provide telehealth providers to each native and rural survivors throughout the pandemic, insufficient web providers in rural areas proved to be a problem.”

Extra limitations for DOVE Middle shoppers in rural areas embody transportation, communication and confidentiality.

“In Kane County particularly, transportation is a barrier as a result of the truth that all three of DOVE Middle’s present areas are no less than an hour drive away and public transportation doesn’t at all times transport people from Washington County to Kane County,” VanOver stated. “Consequently, quite a few shoppers have made statements that because of the journey time and/or general lack of transportation, they don’t search DOVE Middle providers or don’t accomplish that long run.”

Distance is not the one barrier, both — removed from it, says VanOver.

“The saying ‘everybody is aware of everybody’ is prevalent in small cities and rural communities. Whereas this isn’t detrimental, it will possibly hinder people from looking for providers comparable to a forensic sexual assault examination, out of worry of who might discover out,” VanOver stated.

To handle these points, the DOVE Middle plans to make the most of grant funds from the Utah Division of Well being and Human Companies to launch a pilot program to enhance the rape and sexual assault program, develop case administration, advocate by means of the group’s Hospital Advocacy Response Crew and supply prevention and training providers for survivors in Kane County.

As well as, the group will provide group remedy providers to survivors housed on the Washington County Jail.

“This will likely be achieved by means of the hiring of a cell advocate, who will, in flip, be liable for creating, coordinating and recruiting volunteers for the Hospital Advocate Response Crew in Kanab, offering follow-up providers, together with consumer intakes and case administration and establishing and co-facilitating an artwork remedy assist group for RSA (rape and sexual assault) shoppers in Kanab,” VanOver stated.

The middle hopes that the initiatives undertaken by means of the grant fund will assist people in Kane County entry its providers “extra readily and simply.”

If the pilot program is profitable, the DOVE Middle will search to develop its cell advocacy into extra rural areas as wanted, comparable to tribal lands, Enterprise and Central, in response to a launch from the middle.

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