ASI Diary

Toward an Awareness of All Victims

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Just as domestic violence crosses socioeconomic lines, it also crosses species lines. Companion animals who are members of a family touched by violence are not immune; and because most shelters aren't able to accommodate the family dog, cat, rabbit or gerbil, their plight often leads the human victims to remain in the home.

Statistics abound as a result of many studies conducted over the last 15-20 years. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence notes the following:

• 71 % of women entering domestic violence shelters reported that a partner had threatened, injured or killed the family pet

• 87% of pet abuse by batterers is for the purpose of revenge or control

• Up to 76% of abuse occurs in the presence of children

• 13% of intentional animal abuse involves domestic violence

Recognizing the extent of the problem, hundreds of domestic violence shelters across the country now have programs to house companion animals, typically with local humane societies or rescue organizations. Animal advocacy organizations have developed various programs to educate and combat the abuse of animals in domestic violence situations. For example:
• American Humane Association's PAWS (Pets and Women's Shelters) Program, "is the first and only national initiative to promote on-site housing of pets at family violence shelters in order to maintain the human-animal bond, which can be crucial to recovery after a crisis. When the PAWS Program began, American Humane was aware of only four domestic violence shelters that provided on-site housing for pets. Now there are 28 such shelters, with seven more in the process of conversion."
• Ahimsa House, a nonprofit serving victims of domestic violence throughout the state of Georgia is "dedicated to helping the human and animal victims of domestic violence reach safety together."
• HSUS's First Strike program was developed to raise public and professional awareness of the cycle between animal cruelty and human violence.
• United Animal Nations Lifeline grants provide financial support to allow domestic violence victims to leave their batterers.

The Animals and Society Institute is involved in innovative approaches to the problem through our AniCare treatment model and Rapid Response Program. AniCare is the first published treatment approach to focus exclusively on animal abusers, with versions for both adults and children. It is designed to be used by experienced therapists, and the ASI has provided workshops to train approximately 700 professionals. We partner with Arizona State University to offer an online course on the AniCare adult and child models as part of a sequence of courses offered by ASU's School of Social Work leading to the Animal Abuse Professional Development Certificate.

Through the Rapid Response, we encourage prosecuting attorneys and judges to require convicted animal abusers to undergo assessment and treatment using the AniCare model. We have found that many of the cases that we monitor involve domestic violence. For example, earlier this year, the ASI had a Letter to the Editor published in the Ann Arbor News, and then wrote to the judge who orered AniCare treatment, in a case where a 17-year-old assaulted his girlfriend and killed her rabbit Midnight with a bat.

There are public policy implications as well.  The ASI's Animals Platform discusses the cycle of violence between animal cruelty and human abuse which is recognized by the FBI and the American Psychiatric Association, and recommends several steps including:

• Introducing provisions in states that currently do not require animal cruelty offenders to undergo counseling.

• Requiring agencies that discover animal abuse or child abuse to report their findings to a corresponding child's services or animal control agency ("cross reporting").

• Requiring the FBI to categorize "animal cruelty" in its crime-reporting database separately to ensure accurate tracking and analysis.

• Strengthening penalties for animal abuse that occurs in conjunction with domestic violence.

Let us join with President Obama, who said in his proclamation, "During this month, we rededicate ourselves to breaking the cycle of violence."

Posted on October 19, 2009 at 11:20 am -- Author's Site

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