June 2009

Dear Friend,

Link Programs Initiated in the Netherlands

A national task force is being launched in the Netherlands to introduce The Link to Dutch professionals and the general public. American Humane’s Phil Arkow and the U.K. Links Group’s Paula Boyden were among the speakers at a historic Cirkel van Geweld (Circle of Violence) Conference at the University of Utrecht that launched the initiative, supported by the Stichting DierZijn foundation.

The Netherlands recently enacted its first law allowing battered women to obtain domestic violence temporary restraining orders. Since Jan. 1, 2009, more than 2,000 such orders have been issued requiring the respondent to stay away from the victim for 10 days, with a possible extension to 28 days. Questions about the welfare of household animals are included in the inquiry process to obtain an order, said Mariette Christophe, national program leader for the domestic violence police in the Netherlands.

Marie-José Enders-Slegers presented the results of a survey of the Royal Netherlands Veterinary Association in which 60 percent of Dutch veterinarians said they encounter animal abuse in their practice and that one out of every three cases indicates domestic violence. The survey quantified an incidence rate of one out of every 702 animals treated is a suspected or confirmed victim of animal abuse, or 0.14 cases per 100 treatments.

Most Dutch veterinarians (78 percent) appear to be aware of the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence, but of 365 cases of animal abuse encountered, only 40 (11 percent) were reported to authorities due to a number of identified barriers. In 52 percent of the animal abuse cases, veterinarians either suspected or confirmed that domestic violence was also occurring, said Enders-Slegers.

Enders-Slegers, M.-J., & Janssen, M. (2009). Cirkel van Geweld: Verbanden Tussen Dierenmishandeling en Huiselijk Geweld. Amsterdam: Stichting DierZijn.

Spanish Link Group Conducts Research Projects

Grupo para el Estudio de la Violencia Hacia Humanos y Animales (GEVHA) -- Group for the Study of Violence towards Humans and Animals -- was founded in Spain in 2000 and is the first Spanish-speaking group devoted to increasing awareness of The Link. GEVHA develops educational programs for violence prevention, conflict resolution and the promotion of empathy; presents at national and international conferences; and conducts research on violence against animals and humans. GEVHA collaborates with Professionals for Animal Defense (PRODA) to develop humane education programs and Link courses for police officers, and with Comissió de Violència de Gènere, a multidisciplinary group from the Primary Care Centers in Sant Cugat and Valldoreix, near Barcelona, where a research project is under way on domestic violence and animal abuse. GEVHA (http://www.gevha.org/) was founded by Dr. Núria Querol i Viñas.

GEVHA’s first research project, “Evaluation of animal abuse in a forensic sample diagnosed with psychopathy,” addressed the absence of data regarding animal abuse in Spain and offered a new approach to the study of violence that includes the history of animal abuse and partner abuse. Twenty-four male inmates of the prison of Barcelona -- who had been convicted of robbery, homicide, murder or attempted murder -- participated. Researchers reported that 23.5 percent of the inmates had a history of the complete McDonald triad of childhood pyromania, enuresis and animal abuse; of those inmates with histories of only one or two aspects of the triad, 41.7 percent had committed animal abuse, 71 percent had committed pyromania and 58.8 percent had enuresis. Inmates reported having committed or witnessed such acts as tying firecrackers to dogs’ tails, crushing birds after trapping them in glue traps, burning pets “for pleasure” or “to eat them,” and crushing puppies to release anger. “The figures were even or higher than other studies in inmates which reflects the need of a deeper understanding and investigation of the triad, especially among child-adolescent populations in order to achieve early intervention,” the authors reported.

Cuquerella, A., Querol, N., Subirana, M., & Ascione, F. R. (2003). Evaluation of animal abuse in a forensic sample diagnosed with psychopathy. Barcelona: Research Project, Justice and Law Administration of Catalonia.

New Link Research

An ongoing question in The Link is whether individual acts of animal cruelty by children necessarily lead to antisocial behaviors, or whether a pattern of sustained, recurrent acts of childhood cruelty is necessary for such behaviors to develop. Christopher Hensley and Suzanne E. Tallichet, who have explored this question previously, recently replicated their 2004 study. The new study, based on survey data from 180 inmates at a medium- and maximum-security prison in a Southern U.S. state, examined the relationship between the demographic characteristics of race, level of education, residential location of an offender’s formative years, and recurrent acts of childhood cruelty, and their impact on later repeated acts of interpersonal violence. Only repeated acts of animal cruelty during childhood were predictive of later recurrent acts of violence toward humans, showing a possible relationship between the two.

Hensley, C., Tallichet, S. E., & Dutkiewicz, E. L. (2009). Recurrent childhood animal cruelty: Is there a relationship to adult recurrent interpersonal violence? Criminal Justice Review 34(2), 248-257.

Washington State Enacts Pet Protection Orders

The state of Washington recently became the 11th state in the U.S. to enact legislation allowing courts to include pets in domestic violence protection orders. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed HB 1148 into law on May 11, 2009. The new law includes pets among a petitioner’s personal effects; allows judges to grant a petitioner exclusive custody or control of pets belonging to the petitioner, respondent or a minor, and to prohibit the respondent from coming within a specified distance of specified locations where the pet is regularly found; and prohibits acts of violence, harm or interference with these animals. Violation is a gross misdemeanor.

To follow the progress of these and other Link-related bills, visit American Humane’s legislative tracking program.

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