Stats & Facts
FACTS ABOUT ANIMAL ABUSE & DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
In association with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Why it Matters
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71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed, killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals. [1]
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68% of battered women reported violence towards their animals. 87% of these incidents occurred in the presence of the women, and 75% in the presence of the children, to psychologically control and coerce them. [2]
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13% of intentional animal abuse cases involve domestic violence.[3]
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Between 25% and 40% of battered women are unable to escape abusive situations because they worry about what will happen to their pets or livestock should they leave. [4,5,6]
http://www.americanhumane.org/about-us/newsroom/fact-sheets/animal-abuse-domestic-violence.html
Safe Humane Chicago is an unprecedented community-wide alliance to combat violence by promoting compassion and caring for people and animals.
Comprehensive programming for Safe Humane Chicago targets neighborhoods most affected by violence and most in need of resources using schools, churches and community groups.
An Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence Aid and Resource Collection
Pets as Pawns in Domestic Violence
Some people are cat people. Some people are dog people. Bird, fish, reptile and other animal-type people abound as well. "Fur People" (as pets are known in many homes) have some great assets, just by nature of being our pets. They're usually home, even in the middle of the night. Substance abuse among the pet population is rare (catnip might be an exception). Unemployment is expected of them, and they love us unconditionally. Animal companions are good for us. Studies show that people with pets have lower blood pressure, live longer lives and suffer from less anxiety.
But for victims of domestic violence, pets can become a barrier to leaving an abusive relationship and can even become a tool of violence for an abusive partner who is willing to injure or kill a pet as a retaliation or as part of a pre-emptive strike designed to gain or maintain control by means of terrorism. The more you or your children are attached to a pet, the more that pet can be seen by an abuser as a means to control you. Pets are also often seen as being in competition with an abusive partner for your attention.
Even if a spouse has never been violent towards YOU, it's vital that you take even the threat of violence against a pet seriously - not only for the pet's safety, but for your own as well. Tons of research has been done on the issue of animal abuse and the relation to child abuse and spouse battering and the facts are in: threats or actions against your pet are a very strong indicator that violence is on the way for you or your children.
Of 50 shelters surveyed about women and children escaping from domestic violence, 85% said that women in their shelter talked about pet abuse, 63% of children talked about pet abuse, and 83% said that they had observed the coexistence of domestic violence and pet abuse.
Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse:
A Multidisciplinary Approach in Illinois
http://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/March_2010/domestic_violence.htm
“I made my first kill today. It was a loved one…I’ll never forget the howl she made. It sounded almost human…I’ll never forget the sound of her bones breaking under my might. I hit her so hard I knocked the fur off her neck…It was true beauty.” Six months later, this 16-year-old fatally stabbed his mother and went on a shooting spree at his high school in Pearl, Mississippi.
... As you know, animals feel pain and fear — but are often helpless victims because they have no voice. Sadly, some people choose to abuse animals over people for this very reason!
Research suggests that animal abuse is closely linked to other criminal violence. For example, animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people, four times more likely to commit property crimes, and three times more likely to have a record for drug or disorderly conduct offenses (Arluke, Levin, and Ascione, 1999). Approximately 70 percent of domestic violence abusers have records of other crimes and 60 percent had a household pet (Breaking the Silence of Violence II)....
The Case of the Battered Pet
Who would suspect Battered Pet that a family’s animals could be pawns in domestic violence? Or that their sad condition might tip off investigators to women in trouble?
A shocking report by BARRY YEOMAN on the terrifying truth about cats and dogs.
American Humane
UNDERSTANDING THE LINK® BETWEEN ANIMAL ABUSE AND FAMILY VIOLENCE
What Is The Link?
A correlation between animal abuse, family violence and other forms of community violence has been established. Child and animal protection professionals have recognized this link, noting that abuse of both children and animals is connected in a self-perpetuating cycle of violence. When animals in a home are abused or neglected, it is a warning sign that others in the household may not be safe. In addition, children who witness animal abuse are at a greater risk of becoming abusers themselves.
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