Tag Archives: domestic violence
Is there a connection between animal abuse and criminal violence?
Juno, Deb and their very affectionate friend!
By Deb Young
A number of studies have drawn links between the abuse of animals and violence against people.
How does animal abuse relate to domestic abuse?
Pet abuse is one of four predictors of domestic partner violence. In both domestic violence and child-abuse situations, abusers may manipulate and control their human victims through threatened or actual violence against family pets.
Researchers have found that between 71% and 83% of women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their partners also abused or killed the family pet. And another study found that in families under supervision for physical abuse of their children, pet abuse was concurrent in 88% of the families.
Studies show that the type of person who is abusive toward his or her spouse, partner or child is often abusive toward animals, too.
Therefore, it is our hope that authorities and neighbors will start to pay more attention to animal abusers in order to identify and prevent domestic abuse.
I am all for stiffer penalties for animal abusers,and I hope that police, social services and animal control will start working together so we can protect everyone. Not just the animals but their human family members.
Having created Juno’s Place, a Worcester-based organization dedicated to working through Juno to achieve many of my missions, I am working to create awareness about these links in human behavior.
In many domestic-abuse cases, the abuse of animals is more open and widely acknowledged by neighbors and authorities.
It is my hope that those red flags will be examined more closely, and I have named the campaign “Speak Up” in the hopes that people across Worcester will become active observes and reporters in their neighborhoods.
One positive side effect of taking a closer look and instituting harsher consequences on animal abusers, is that the animals will be available for rescue and adoption into other families. This may make the difference for a woman who is looking to get out of an abusive relationship.
Many times in cases like these, women are afraid to leave their abusive partner because they are afraid of what will happen to their pets,This will make that decision much easier for them.
If authorities can see, in a home, that an animal is being abused or neglected, there is a good chance that if they look around they will find that there is something else going on in the home, It might help to save a life.
You can help stop the cycle of violence by recognizing that animal abuse is an indicator of serious problems. Reporting animal abuse can help authorities stop other types of violence, and vice versa. Encouraging local law enforcement and prosecutors to take crimes against animals seriously is the key to creating safer communities.
The best way to support Juno’s Place is to visit her Facebook page and check out everything she is doing or contact us at Junosplace@yahoo.com.
A message from Deb and Nikki
Did you ever wonder who was behind InCity Times’ Ban-wild-animals-from-circuses FB page?
Go Deb and Juno, go!!!!!!!!
Wonderful local gal and passionate animal rights activist Deb Young, pictured above, of course! For a good while Deb also penned the InCity Times Animal Times column, but she got way too busy (see below!) to commit to writing a regular column. So she created and updates the InCity Times circus Facebook page, seen on this website (just click on text below photo of elephant), where you can learn WHAT REALLY HAPPENS TO ELEPHANTS AND OTHER WILD ANIMALS forced to live and “perform” in traveling shows. You’ll also read about the amazing awareness that is sweeping the world … country after country, city after city is passing laws to STOP THE SUFFERING!
Deb’s Chihuahua, Juno, plays a big part in Deb’s many efforts to help ALL animals. And people, too!
We think Juno’s the bees knees! He looks so cute in his little car, donning his wee helmet and pair of goggles!
Thank you, Deb, for all the great things you do for animals and our community!
– Rosalie Tirella
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The work Juno and I do
By Deb Young
Juno is my six-pound Chihuahua and the pack leader of Juno’s Place.
Juno’s calm demeanor and gentle disposition towards children and adults make her the perfect ambassador and trusted friend.
Event fundraisers for Juno are an opportunity for her to engage and interact with the public.
Organizations supported by Juno include Kane’s Krusade, Spay Worcester, Pet Rock Festival, The Cold Noses Foundation, SweetPea Animal Shelter, Massachusetts Vest- A -Dog, Paws For A Cause and ending B.S.L.
Juno campaigned on behalf of Sweet Pea animal Shelter and was awarded a Petco Foundation grant of $18,461. This provided needed renovations and the construction of the shelter’s “Freedom Yard”!
Juno and I do not confine our efforts to animals alone. Juno’s Paw-it-Forward project collects supplies for Worcester’s Union Hill Elementary school where 98% of the students live at poverty level. Items such as backpacks, school supplies, clothing and food are donated yearly.
Juno also supports finding a cure to say goodbye to cancer!
In 2014, Juno raised $1,000 for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life and a “Christmas in August “ for a preschooler fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Juno and I are also spearheading our “Speak Up” nationwide campaign. It encourages people to recognize the link between domestic violence and animal abuse. The goal of the “Speak Up” Campaign is to shed light on the abuse of pets — and the link to other domestic violence. I hope the campaign will also branch out to local counseling and mental health centers.
There is a correlation been established between animal abuse, family violence, and other forms of community violence. Abusers often don`t stop with their primary victim – they hurt others in the home. Police officers see this evidence when they respond to 911 calls.
If more people Dial 9-1-1 when they suspect animal abuse, not only will an animal be protected, but the police will have the opportunity to uncover more domestic violence cases. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), domestic violence comes in many forms, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence and threats. Killing, harming, or threatening to harm animals are weapons used by abusers to manipulate victims into silence and to destroy the comfort that animals provide.
Abuse is not a problem with anger management, but rather a way to establish and maintain control over victims, experts say. Protecting victims of animal abuse will help prevent domestic violence, too.
Experts agree that statistics about abuse, while disturbing, probably downplay the true magnitude of domestic violence. Cross-reporting requires law enforcement and social agencies to report abuse and collaborate in investigations. In some states, animal protection agencies must also report suspected child abuse and child protective services must also report suspected animal cruelty.
Communities must acknowledge that the abuse of any living being is unacceptable and endangers everyone.
Recognizing that cruelty to animals is a significant form of aggressive and antisocial behavior may help further the understanding and prevention of violence.
Juno’s Place has 135,000 followers actively engaged in Juno’s causes. Juno is known as “the little dog that does big things”! Check it out:
https://www.facebook.com/JunosPlace?ref=hl
Or email Juno/me at: Junosplace@yahoo.com
This winter do you need/want a pretty, warm scarf, sweater, coat …
… pair of gloves or hat?
Then head to this downtown spot WHERE YOU CAN BUY GREAT CLOTHING, COLLECTIBLES, VINTAGE GOODIES, EVEN FURNITURE!
Abby’s House Thrifty Gift Store
52 High St. , Worcester (across from St. Paul’s Cathedral)
Our Parlee Jones is head of Abby’s House shelter program. She gives women fleeing domestic violence a clean, safe, kind, place to live!
Abby’s gift store’s profits go 100% to FUNDING ABBY’S HOUSE WOMEN’S SHELTER!
The shop’s stuff is eclectic, cool, sometimes fantastic, always on sale FOR A SONG!
Bonus: the beautiful and sexy ICT writer (and sometimes ICT cover girl!) DORRIE MAYNARD is back working for Abby’s RUNNING THEIR STORE again! Yay! Dorrie is a wonderful person with tons of style! She can help you choose what looks awesome on you! Pick out a cute purse or necklace! Like us, Dorrie has been a HUGE ANIMAL RIGHTS GAL … forever! She has rescued so many cats and dogs – placing them in loving homes, like hers! We love Dorrie!
So visit her and shop at/support Abby’s Thifty-Gift Shop!
52 High St., Worcester
Hours:
Monday – Thursday 10 am – 3 pm
Friday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Go Abby’s House! Go Parlee! Go Dorrie! Go Abby’s residents!!!!
Below: ICT editor Rosalie’s winter scarves: all thrift store, vintage finds – including the goofy hat you saw her wearing yesterday!
Abby’s House thrift shop holiday bazaar! Nov. 8! Buy fall jackets, jeans, sweaters, tees, etc!
Love Shouldn’t Hurt! October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Parlee Jones (left) – a woman of beauty and consequence! Thank you, Parlee, for all your great work in Worcester and beyond!
By Parlee Jones
Peace, Worcester people!
In my position as Shelter Advocate at Abby’s House, some of the bravest women I have met are the women who are fleeing a Domestic Violence situation. They are willing to walk away from everything they own, with the clothes on their back, going into the unknown. Some willing to meet unknown folks at a train station or bus station to go to a new place, a new home. Some with children, some without children. Some very young, some middle aged, some older women. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian, all folks. Trying to get away from the one they love and who is supposed to be loving them. Willing and ready to start over again. Just worried about finding a place to stop the pain.
On September 15, 2010, the National Network to End Domestic Violence did a 24 hour Census of Domestic Violence Shelters and services reported the following information. 1,746 out of 1,920, or 91%, of identified local domestic violence programs in the United States and territories participated in the 2010 National Census of Domestic Violence Services. The following figures represent the information provided by 1,746 participating programs about services provided during the 24-hour survey period.
70,648 Victims Served in One Day
37,519 domestic violence victims found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing provided by local domestic violence programs. 33,129 adults and children received non-residential assistance and services, including individual counseling, legal advocacy, and children’s support groups.
23,522 Hotline Calls Answered
Domestic violence hotlines are a lifeline for victims in danger, providing support, information, safety planning, and resources. In the 24-hour survey period, local domestic violence programs answered 22,292 calls and the National Domestic Violence Hotline answered 1,230 calls, resulting in more than 16 hotline calls every minute.
Despite helping over 70,500 people on September 15, 2010, domestic violence programs were unable to meet 9,541 requests for services because of a lack of funding, staffing and resources. Although programs have historically struggled to find resources to provide comprehensive services, funding cuts, reduced donations, and dwindling community resources are severely straining programs’ ability to help survivors get back on their feet.
If you are a domestic violence victim, let the people who care about you help you.
1. Confide in someone you trust. If you have a friend or relative who cares about your safety, tell them about the abuse. Sharing a burden with someone makes it lighter. If you’ve left your abusive relationship and are feeling lonely and tempted to return, talk it out with a friend who knows the situation.
2. Don’t let others talk you into taking action that doesn’t feel right to you. You are the only one who knows if you’re ready to leave your relationship, go to the police, or seek emergency shelter. Make your own decisions, based on your own comfort level.
3. Leave an “emergency kit” with a friend. This could include extra money, a set of car keys, a change of clothes and copies of important documents (driver’s license, birth certificates, social security card, health insurance records, documentation of abuse) that may come in handy in an emergency. Think of what you might need if you have to leave your home in a hurry.
4. Ask a friend to accompany you to important appointments. If you have medical appointments, are going to the police, to court, or to see a lawyer, take a friend along for moral support.
5. Make sure a friend knows about your Personal Safety Plan. Start making your own Personal Safety Plan Go over it with a friend and give that friend a copy of the plan.
A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that includes ways to remain safe while in a relationship, planning to leave, or after you leave. Safety planning involves how to cope with emotions, tell friends and family about the abuse, take legal action and more. A good safety plan will have all of the vital information you need and be tailored to your unique situation, and will help walk you through different scenarios.
In Worcester we have been acknowledging the national awareness of this terrible epidemic with quite a few events. [Still to happen]:
October 27 ~ Daybreak Breakfast: 7:45 – 9:30 am Holy Cross Hogan Campus Center (more info 5608 767 2505 x 3009 $35)
October 29 ~ 6 pm to 8 pm ~ Spoken Word and Music Honorary Concert at the Worcester Public Library. This is going to be an incredible event, with some of Worcester’s most amazing poets and singers! Please join us!
All month long the Empty Place at the Table Exhibit will be showing at different places including Worcester City Hall, Worcester Public Library, Heywood Hospital, MWCC Student Lounge, Leominster City Hall, Health Alliance Hospital, Holy Cross, Fitchburg State, Quinsigamond Community College Student Life Center, UMASS Hospital and the Worcester Police Department.
For more info on these events you can call Daybreak at 508 767 2505.
National Network to End Domestic Violence http://nnedv.org/
Jane Doe (Mass. Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence http://janedoe.org/
Daybreak http://www.ywcacentralmass.org/domestic-violence
MassResources.org http://www.massresources.org/domestic-violence-agencies.html
The connection between domestic violence and animal cruelty
By Deb Young
In recent years, a strong connection has been documented linking domestic violence, child abuse and animal abuse.
Nationwide, professionals in such fields as law enforcement, child protection, human and veterinary medicine, domestic violence intervention, education, and animal control — among other fields — are beginning to realize that they need to know more about the many connections between animal cruelty and violence against humans.
In a number of studies , one national and the others statewide, 71% to 83% of the women entering domestic violence shelters reported that their partners also abused or killed the family pet.
Women who do seek safety at shelters are nearly 11 times more likely to report that their partner has hurt or killed their animals than women who have not experienced domestic abuse.
When an abuser threatens, abuses, or kills an animal, several messages are being relayed to the human victim.
The abuse, or even threat to abuse the animal, displays the domination and control the abuser has over the victim.
The abuser often is successful in getting his message across through abuse of the pet.
For example, following through on threats to injure or kill an animal shows the victim that the abuser is willing to kill an animal and that he may also kill the victim.
Not only can abuse of the pet be used to manipulate or coerce a partner or child into compliance with the abuser’s wishes, it also can be used to frighten, intimidate, punish, or retaliate against a partner or child.
Especially , if the animal is the victim’s only source of love and affection, killing or injuring the animal further isolates the victim from anyone or anything but the abuser.
Many years ago I was told the story of a woman who finally left her abuser and was staying at a shelter. One day, the woman approached an advocate at the shelter and said ‘I have to go home.”
The victim had received pword of her abuser cutting off the ears of her dog with scissors. The victim knew that the only way to save the life of her dog and other animals at the house was to return to her abuser. Situations like this and the fear of what will happen to a beloved pet often keeps a victim from leaving their abuser.
Just as animal abuse is related to domestic violence, so it is also related to child abuse, another form of family violence.
Studies have found that in 88 percent of families where there had been physical abuse of children, there were also records of animal abuse.
For children, the abuse of the pet can have vast, long-term effects on their well-being.
Children who witness or are victims of domestic violence may start to abuse pets as a way of releasing their anger or expressing their distress.
In a study of abusive households with pets, it was found that in 32 percent of these homes, the children abused their pets.
Certainly not all children who abuse animals or witness abuse will grow up to be abusers or mass murderers. However, the fact children witness abuse of both their mothers and pets can only increase the chance that they will adjust poorly to life as they get older. Additionally, children who are raised in an abusive environment learn that violence is a way to solve problems.
Less well known is the fact that many of the infamous school shooters also engaged in animal cruelty before turning their aggression against their classmates, teachers, and parents.
If you break it down to its bare essentials: “Abusing an animal is a way for a human to find power, joy, fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend itself”
Now break down a human crime, say rape. If we substitute a few pronouns, it’s the SAME THING. “Rape is a way for a human to find power, joy, fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend themselves”
Now try it with, say, domestic abuse such as child abuse or spousal abuse:
“Child abuse is a way for a human to find power/joy/fulfillment through the torture of a victim they know cannot defend themselves.”
Do you see the pattern here?
There is legitimate evidence that the individuals involved in violent acts against animals present a danger to the public that must be addressed. Intentional animal abuse is often seen in association with other serious crimes including drug offenses, gang activity, weapons violations, sexual assault and domestic violence—and can be one of the most visible parts of an entire history of aggressive or antisocial behavior.Virtually every serious violent offender has a history of animal abuse in their past, and since there’s no way to know which animal abuser is going to continue on to commit violent human crimes, they should ALL be taken that seriously.
The line separating an animal abuser from someone capable of committing human abuse is much finer than most people care to consider. People abuse animals for the same reasons they abuse people & enough have been proven to continue on to commit violent crimes to people that it’s worth paying attention to.
Fair housing and domestic violence
By Sarah Loy
Domestic violence affects people of all social and economic levels and includes physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse by a spouse or other intimate partner. Victims of domestic violence are most often women and children. Domestic violence can affect performance at work and at school and can disrupt a family’s home life, not only through the abuse experienced at home, but also by causing difficulty in the family’s ability to find or keep affordable housing. According to a report by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness in the United States (Lost Housing, Lost Safety: Survivors of Domestic Violence Experience Housing Denials and Evictions Across the Country (NLCHP, 2007).
Maintaining housing stability while you are experiencing domestic violence or even after you leave a violent relationship can be difficult. It can be made more difficult if you are evicted from the apartment you live in or are prevented from renting a new apartment because of past incidents of domestic violence where, for example, neighbors have complained about police calls, or the abuser has damaged the apartment. Continue reading Fair housing and domestic violence