The Road Less Travelled: Exploring Socio-Spatial Barriers to Accessing Sexual-and Gender-Based Violence Support Sexual- and Gender-Based Violence Support Services in Rural Southern Ontario

This doctoral thesis, presented in a manuscript-based format, examines how geography, identity, and structure intersect to shape access to care for survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) in rural Ontario. The dissertation explores three key questions: (1) How have geographic methods been used to study SGBV risk, prevalence, and service access?; (2) What rural-urban disparities exist in survivors’ access to emergency and community-based services, and how are these influenced by geographic remoteness, demographic factors, and broader structural inequalities?; (3) How do SGBV service providers working with rural communities in Southern Ontario perceive and address systemic and relational barriers to care? To address these questions, I used a mixed-methods approach that included: (1) a scoping review on the use of geographic methods to study SGBV, (2) a spatial analysis of national hospitalization data for abuse-related injuries, and (3) semi-structured interviews with service providers working across rural Southern Ontario. The design and mobilization of this research were grounded in service provider priorities and community-based collaboration. The findings revealed notable urban-rural differences in experiences of violence, access to services, and the organization of support systems, while also illustrating how shifting rural contexts continue to reshape these dynamics. The research highlighted both the potential and limitations of administrative health data for understanding SGBV, emphasizing the need to read such data critically and contextually. Across all studies, the work underscores the importance of distinguishing between space and place - recognizing that the geographies of violence and care are shaped not only by distance, but by local histories, relationships, and power. This dissertation advances feminist, intersectional, and geographic research on SGBV by incorporating spatial and qualitative insights. It offers a mixed-methods approach aimed at supporting advocacy and policy change, highlighting that SGBV is not merely an individual or interpersonal issue, but one shaped by spatial, structural, and systemic influences.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Health Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher

Carleton University

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Sheppard-Perkins, Madeleine Dayla

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright © 2026 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.22215/etd/2026-16987

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/45144