A new study from southwestern Manitoba paints a stark picture of rural residents experiencing gender-based violence, where the nearest help might be hours away, and finding safety and anonymity often means leaving the community.

Barriers pile up fast for survivors outside city limits, Jamie Brown of the Western Manitoba Women’s Centre in Brandon says. There’s a lack of transportation, child care and housing, and the fear of encountering abusers at the community’s only grocery store, gas station or hospital.

The centre’s report, Advancing the Rights of Women Experiencing Gender-Based Violence in Southwestern Manitoba, was funded by Women and Gender Equality Canada and publicly released Thursday. It highlights a rural-urban divide in access and equity in terms of gender-based violence support and resources, Brown says.

Manitoba has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, with 568 reported incidents of family violence and 607 of intimate partner violence per 100,000 people, per Statistics Canada.