25 June 2005
It is becoming increasingly recognized that family pets are being used as a tool to manipulate and control victims of domestic violence. Dad threatening to drown the kitten if little Tommy does not let him ‘touch that special place’ and other family members physically – and sexually – abusing animals openly in order to exert power of their victims.
Unfortunately, this is a sad fact of life and it does happen. But, what is being done about it? The answer you’ll be pleased to know is plenty!
Although the NSPCC and the RSPCA have taken steps to put a structure in place between the two charities, there are many other organizations that need to get involved to curtail this abuse. Vets need training in order to recognize signs of abuse, women’s aid shelters need to take pets into consideration when accepting victims and social workers investigating domestic violence need to notify the RSPCA if animals are at risk in the home. Ultimately, there needs to be a sharing of information between these animal and human agencies.
For the past four years, Intervet through the Forging the Link campaign, has been an instrumental voice within the animal and human health industries to bring this very subject to the fore and encourage some of the country’s leading authorities in the fields of child abuse, animal abuse and domestic violence to work together. As a result, a national working party has now been formed to help safeguard and promote the welfare of children, animals and vulnerable adults and break the chain of violence.
“The Links Group” meets twice a year and brings together experts from child and animal welfare groups, animal charities, women’s support agencies, police forces, vets, medical groups and domestic violence units. These agencies have been proactively exploring the links and have drawn attention to an issue, which has until recently, been neglected in policy and professional practice. Intervet has provided financial support along with personnel actively working in the campaign.
For Intervet, the main objective has been to ensure that veterinary students and vets in practice have the adequate tools to deal with such incidences and understand more clearly the reporting structures if they suspect a case of animal abuse.
