Health & Fitness
Correlation between Animal Cruelty, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse
Correlation between Animal Cruelty, Domestic Violence, and Child Abuse
Did you know...
• there is a connection between animal abuse, domestic violence and child abuse? In families suffering with domestic violence, the use or threat of abuse against companion animals is often used for leverage by the controlling/violent member of the family to keep others in line or silent. The violence may be in the form of spousal abuse, child abuse (both physical and sexual), or elder abuse. (Source)
• a survey of pet-owning families with substantiated child abuse and neglect found that animals were abused in 88% of homes where child physical abuse was present (DeViney, Dickert, & Lockwood, 1983).
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• abusers kill, harm, or threaten children’s pets to coerce them into sexual abuse or to force them to remain silent about abuse. Disturbed children kill or harm animals to emulate their parents’ conduct, to prevent the abuser from killing the pet, or to take out their aggressionson another victim. (Source)
• animal cruelty problems are people problems. When animals are abused, people are at risk. (Source)
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• "Researchers as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies nationwide have linked animal cruelty to domestic violence, child abuse, serial killings and to the recent rash of killings by school age children," says Dr. Randall Lockwood (Vice President of training and initiatives for the Humane Society ofthe United States)
• if a child hurts animals it should be a red flag and immediate action should be taken. While there are many factors that contribute to someone becoming a serial killer, the one constant they share is animal abuse.
• a study done by North Eastern University and the Massachusetts SPCA found that people who abuse animals are five times more likely to abuse humans than people who do not.
• 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. (Source)
REPORT ANIMAL CRUELTY TO THE PUTNAM COUNTY SPCA AT ANYTIME.
