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    Perspectives on sexual assault and domestic violence in rural Alaskan communities

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    Author
    Hayden, Katheryn S.
    Chair
    Ehrlander, Mary F.
    Committee
    McCartney, Leslie
    Charles, Walkie
    Keyword
    Rape
    Alaska
    Family violence
    Victims of family violence
    Services for
    Rural women
    Crimes against
    Abuse of
    Rural girls
    Rural children
    Rural teenagers
    Rural youth
    Rural crimes
    Rural men
    Sexual behavior
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    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8719
    Abstract
    Alaska's rate of reported sexual assault is nearly three times the national average, and underreporting may be as high as 70 percent. In rural communities, the rates of both sexual and domestic violence are higher still. Through oral history methodology my research explores how survivors, elders, and professionals view the issues surrounding this violence in remote communities. My findings highlight the interconnectedness of social problems, and the conditions within rural Alaskan communities that hinder reducing these problems. The variables associated with sexual and domestic violence that my respondents highlighted include: alcohol abuse, multigenerational trauma, lack of funding for services, isolation, and normalization of sexual assault and domestic violence. Based on my analysis of the interviews, I have suggested recommendations that I believe are attainable for professional offices in rural Alaska, and that may help them provide better quality services to their communities. These recommendations include: 1) social abuse and crisis training for rural paraprofessionals; 2) socio-cultural training for frontline professional workers, to educate them not only on the history of the region in which they work, but also on the interconnected and long-lasting effects of sexual and domestic violence; and 3) improved communication between rural Alaskan communities and the state agencies that serve them, possibly via a cultural liaison. I also urge public and rural education initiatives, both in schools and to the public at large, regarding the long term, complex, and multigenerational effects of sexual and domestic violence and alcohol abuse.
    Description
    Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2018
    Date
    2018-05
    Type
    Thesis
    Collections
    Arctic and Northern Studies

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