[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 122 (Thursday, July 31, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5291-S5293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING HOARD'S DAIRYMAN

  Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, I would like to applaud Hoard's Dairyman 
for shining a light on an important and sometimes overlooked problem in 
rural America.
  The article in their July 2014 issue, ``When Life Turned Ugly,'' 
written by Andrea Stoltzfus, focused on the unique challenges that 
rural victims of domestic violence face in overcoming their abusers. 
They are often geographically isolated and unaware of the resources 
available to them or they lack the ability to reach a crisis center due 
to a lack of public transportation. There also may not be a local 
shelter to help them or they may not have the

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financial means to set out on their own. These obstacles can make it 
particularly difficult for women in rural areas, like the dairy farm 
wives cited in the article, to escape abusive relationships.
  From my days as a prosecutor in Vermont, I still vividly remember 
seeing the aftermath of this type of violence firsthand. I will never 
forget arriving on the scenes of domestic violence crimes. These 
experiences have spurred me in my roles as the chairman of the Senate 
Judiciary Committee and as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations 
Committee to work to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. Most 
recently I was proud to sponsor the reauthorization of the Violence 
Against Women Act, VAWA, which the President signed into law in March 
2013. Since VAWA was first enacted in 1994, it has helped to lower the 
annual incidence of domestic violence by more than half, it has raised 
awareness, and it has increased reporting of these crimes. VAWA has 
also improved the criminal justice system's ability to keep victims 
safe and hold perpetrators accountable. But there is still more that we 
can and should do.
  One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her 
lifetime. That rate is even higher in rural areas. That is why I have 
worked to ensure that the domestic violence programs are adequately 
funded. In particular, I have pushed for increased funding for the 
Rural Domestic Violence Program. This program was established by the 
first VAWA to address the unique challenges faced by victims of 
domestic violence and dating violence in rural jurisdictions. This 
program supports the safety of rural victims of sexual assault, 
domestic violence, dating violence and stalking by funding projects 
uniquely designed to address and prevent rural crimes. It encourages 
cooperation among law enforcement and victim service providers, among 
others, to investigate criminal incidents and to offer treatment, 
education and prevention strategies.
  As a husband, father, grandfather, and as a former prosecutor, I know 
we can and must do everything we can to combat domestic violence. I 
hope that the Hoard's Dairyman article will help raise awareness. No 
woman should feel trapped in an abusive relationship, and we must all 
work to ensure they are not.
  I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the article be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                   [From Hoard's Dairyman, July 2014]

                         When Life Turned Ugly


   Domestic violence is an all too common occurrence in rural America

                         (By Andrea Stoltzfus)

       From the road, the farm looks well kept, the fields 
     prosperous. The animals are content, the garden is 
     flourishing. But behind the closed doors, away from the 
     curious onlookers, the helpful neighbors, a different scene 
     unfolds--that of domestic violence among rural farm women.
       What follows is a real-life conversation with a dairy farm 
     wife who was a victim of domestic violence. As we move 
     through the article, we will discuss the multiple layers of 
     the issue and how women can find help.
       ``I ended up with this man because I wanted my dreams to 
     come true of being married to a farmer, enjoying the farm and 
     quality of life I had growing up on a dairy farm. I was after 
     the same relationship my parents had. In my mind, it was all 
     going to be so blissful. We would do chores together and 
     share life together, enjoy being together and live happily 
     ever after. I could not have been more wrong. I have learned 
     that chasing dreams can be very costly, and I don't 
     necessarily mean money.''


                          Behind closed doors

       Domestic abuse in rural areas is just as likely to happen 
     as in other communities, but women living in remote areas 
     face other barriers to reporting the abuse or escaping the 
     situation. The isolation of farms or ranches from towns can 
     make it hard for emergency services to respond in a timely 
     manner. Phone service may be spotty or even obsolete. ``Going 
     to town'' could mean hours, not minutes, of travel time.
       According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic 
     Violence website, the rural culture plays a role in making 
     abuse reporting difficult.
       ``A `rural culture' often includes everyone working 
     together and knowing what is going on in each other's lives. 
     It is likely that law enforcement, judges, social services 
     and health care workers, faith leaders, and others know both 
     the victim and the abuser. As a result, it may be more 
     uncomfortable to share what is happening behind closed doors. 
     Victims may feel that people won't take their situation 
     seriously. In addition, there may be strong ties among 
     extended families that mean breaking up the family is frowned 
     upon.''
       ``The people I got most of my help from were strangers. 
     Neighbors, friends, family acted like I had the plague. How 
     could this happen in our family, in our neighborhood, in our 
     safe small town?''
       Additionally, women may be partners in the farm, not only 
     in the marriage, but in the daily workload and the financial 
     end of the business. The farm or ranch may be the only source 
     of family income, and the victim may be reluctant to leave as 
     she has no other economic resources available.
       Rural women have strong emotional ties to the land and 
     livestock. Leaving could mean neglect or harm for the animals 
     she cares for. Living on farms means more access to things 
     that could be used as weapons--axes, chains, pitchforks, 
     guns--working with farm equipment can be a ready excuse for 
     injuries.
       ``I even ended up driving myself to the ER the morning of 
     my daughter's 8th birthday getting five staples placed in my 
     scalp where I got hit with a pipe for some stupid reason, 
     then returned home to finish milking cows. There were several 
     events like this. I had a bruise all down my arm, and I told 
     people at work that the milk tank cover fell on my arm, and 
     that's why it was all black.''
       Domestic abuse isn't always about physical abuse--it can 
     also mean sexual abuse, emotional abuse or financial abuse. 
     According to the Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault 
     Coalition, it is important to know there is not ``one way'' 
     an individual is abusive. When one abuse tactic no longer 
     provides the abuser the results he/she wants, they will 
     change to another to get the desired results.
       ``The milk price had nothing to do with it--he hit before 
     we had our own herd. The crops, the weather, nothing had a 
     thing to do with it. My husband loved the control, the power 
     he had over me.
       ``It started basically the day after I married him. At that 
     point, I became property. I remember the chute to the gutter 
     cleaner breaking into many pieces and me not being able to 
     shut the gutter cleaner off fast enough.
       The memory of being screamed at, called vulgar names, made 
     to feel totally worthless and brought down to tears for the 
     first time are etched in my mind. It seemed like whenever 
     stressful events such as this happened, he would transfer his 
     anger at the situation to me. I would frequently get pushed 
     and kicked.
       He gradually progressed from just name calling, screaming 
     and physical abuse to making threats of killing me, pointing 
     his finger at my forehead and saying `bang.'''


                            Options seem few

       Why don't victims leave the situation?
       The reasons are many--including the inability to actually 
     leave the farm--as they may not have access to a vehicle or 
     public transportation. A shelter or services could be miles 
     away, with no advocates or access to legal aid. Even if a 
     victim decides to pursue legal assistance, it may not be as 
     easy as it seems.
       ``I know it seems like this is a black and white issue, but 
     it's really not. There were lots of things to think about--I 
     knew I could not run this farm without him here, and most of 
     all I never wanted at any point to see the farm fail. Many 
     thoughts raced through my mind:
       Do I call the police? No. If he gets arrested, when he gets 
     out, it will only be worse.
       Do I tell people? No. That only means embarrassment and 
     people knowing that I am not as strong as I seem to be.
       When I threatened to divorce him and tell him he would have 
     to sell out to get my name off loans, he would threaten to 
     kill me and kill my family.''
       Most victims' services groups recommend having an ``escape 
     plan'' in place, which includes the actions to get to a safe 
     place and the items to take with them. Making a primary care 
     provider aware of the home situation can be part of the plan.
       ``I must also add that, through it all, when I had doctor 
     appointments, the doctor and I always discussed the issues, 
     but I always told the doctor that I felt safe and always had 
     an escape plan. The doctor recommended I go see a 
     psychiatrist, which helped me through a lot of it and gave me 
     the inner strength to actually leave.
       I realized that, when it got to the point of me saying that 
     the day he died would be the happiest day in my life, this 
     was no place to be mentally or physically. I also went to the 
     county resources for domestic abuse, but all it seemed they 
     wanted to do was rush me in front of a judge to get a 
     restraining order, which was not the route I wanted to take. 
     I was also told that I should go to the police from the 
     threats of death he would constantly make, but once again I 
     knew I could not run the farm, and I knew the consequences 
     would be far worse.''
       Phone hotlines, internet sites and local community members 
     can be a lifeline to an abuse victim. However, limited phone 
     coverage, the threat of the abuser finding the sites viewed 
     or neighbors who ``don't want to get involved'' can all be 
     barriers to finding help.
       ``Even though resources are out there, it's not as simple 
     as just utilizing them, as every situation is different, the 
     fears are different and at different intensities, the degree 
     of abuse is different, the inner strength of the victim is 
     different, the family support is different, the family 
     dynamics are different, so

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     sometimes it's just not that simple as seeking out 
     resources.''

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