- Published
Warning: This story contains content that some readers might find distressing
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readers → publish → content
Growing up on a farm, Tracy Lewis loved being around its animals but said the physical and emotional abuse from her farmer father was "torture".
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abuse → grow → father
When she was eight, she recalled her dad pulling her out of bed by her hair to go lambing as her mum told her "you have to get the lamb out or we're both going to die".
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we → recall → lamb
Tracy, now 48 and a farmer herself, and other domestic abuse survivors are calling on governments to better support victims in rural areas.
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Tracy → call → areas
The UK government said it was working to address disparities while the Welsh government said challenges will be considered in its next national strategy.
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challenges → say → strategy
For many people the idea of growing up in the mid-Wales countryside surrounded by trees and animals sounds idyllic, but Tracy says her dad was physically and emotionally abusive.
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dad → grow → trees
Tracy's family have given their permission to the BBC for her to share her story.
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her → give → story
"I remember my father pulled me out of bed by my hair to go and lamb a ewe," she recalled.
"
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she → remember → ewe
I walked past the bathroom and my mum's face had blood all over it and her nose was squashed, she'd been crying.
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she → walk → it
She said to me, you have to get the lamb out or we're both going to die."
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we → say → lamb
Tracy said the animals would sometimes be used as a form of control or a catalyst for abuse.
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animals → say → abuse
"I was getting beaten up when something died, my mum was getting hurt when an animal was poorly," she recalled.
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animal → beat → ?
"It felt like slavery, we loved the animals and farming but we were isolated and stuck."
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we → feel → animals
Tracy, who was raised at the farm in Llanbister in Powys, would sometimes think about calling ChildLine as she said she felt so petrified.
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she → raise → ChildLine
"The farming world is the best place to be, neighbours will always help you out but abuse can be hidden very easily," said the mum-of-three.
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mum → help → three
"Everyone knows everybody, but what goes on behind closed doors will stay behind closed doors.
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goes → know → doors
"For me it was terror and horror, my mum got the worst of it and she tried her best to protect us.
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she → get → us
But she was totally isolated, the farm was her life."
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farm → isolate → ?
She said farmers often had generational businesses and relied on markets and trade with others, and that raising abuse could affect livelihoods.
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raising → say → livelihoods
Tracy also claimed her father, who is now dead, financially abused her, stating that the farm would be passed down to her.
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farm → claim → her
She said she had worked on it for 20 years and had paid rent to him under the impression the family farm would one day become hers.
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farm → say → impression
After finding out it was not left to her in his will, she said she had to "fight" to retain ownership of it.
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she → find → it
Tracy is one of about 11 million people living in rural areas - more than 15% of the UK population.
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Tracy → live → population
The National Rural Crime Network says the true picture of rural abuse is often hidden, with survivors often having more barriers to reach support.
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survivors → say → support
One smallholding owner said her rurality enabled an ex-partner to hold her at gunpoint for eight hours with no-one to hear her screams.
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rurality → say → screams
Rhianon Bragg said she had screamed when Gareth Wyn Jones ambushed her with the gun in north Wales in 2019 but knew that no-one would hear her because she lived rurally.
"There were several moments that night when I thought I wouldn't see my children again," she recalled.
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she → say → children
Rhianon has spoken in-depth about her experience at her smallholding in Gwynedd as part of a new BBC iPlayer series It Happened To Me.
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It → speak → Me
She has since worked with agencies like the police to try to address issues about domestic abuse and stalking in rural areas.
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She → work → areas
"Domestic abuse changed our home from a place of peaceful seclusion to a place of vulnerable isolation and what I experienced was the additional barriers that living rurally created," said Rhianon.
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Rhianon → change → that
She said all UK and Welsh government domestic abuse policies should be "rural proofed" and highlighted issues such as internet connectivity and distance from police stations.
"There is so much that should be addressed for people to be treated evenly, and at the moment, if you live rurally you're on the back foot," said Rhianon.
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Rhianon → say → foot
Tracy urged anyone affected by abuse to speak out about it.
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Tracy → urge → it
"Tell someone, a friend, a neighbour, once you start telling people, things will move," she said.
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she → tell → people
"A good overhaul of policy would be for the best because out here you can hide a lot of stuff.
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you → hide → stuff
I think there's a lot more domestic violence that goes on in rural communities than anyone will ever know," added Tracy.
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Tracy → think → communities
A report by the UK's first working group focused on rural inequality and domestic abuse said rural domestic abuse victims were being failed.
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victims → work → inequality
As part of a 12-point plan, the report published in May by Rural Initiatives Tackling Abuse (Rita) recommended the UK government establish a parliamentary commission on rural domestic abuse and "rural-proof" government strategies.
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government → publish → abuse
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales said she "welcomed" the report and told the BBC the realities of rural life for victims could be "frequently weaponised by their perpetrators".
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realities → say → perpetrators
Dame Nicole Jacobs said: "If we're serious about tackling domestic abuse and addressing inequalities across society, services and support must be designed with rural victims in mind.
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services → say → mind
"That means making sure rural communities are not overlooked and ensuring specialist services have the funding and resources they need to reach every victim, wherever they live."
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they → mean → victim
The report follows a 2019 National Rural Crime Network's Captive and Controlled, external report that suggested domestic abuse lasts 25% longer on average in the most rural areas compared with towns and cities.
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abuse → follow → towns
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
