Rurality, Poverty, Community, and Intimate Partner Violence

This chapter discusses the challenges of responding to intimate partner violence in rural areas, particularly in low-income countries. Women in low-income countries who survive IPV in rural settings may be hesitant to leave an abusive relationship for several reasons including the proximity of family, traditional gender prescriptions, distance to services, and lack of financial options. Some of these factors are linked to rurality itself, but poverty and adherence to rigid gender expectations exacerbate the challenge of addressing intimate partner violence in these areas. Programming options, including women’s empowerment, the inclusion of men, and the use of community to monitor offenders, are discussed.