The Link: a topic at the heart of One Voice's concerns
One Voice leads a nonviolent fight to defend animal rights and respect all life forms. The organization operates independently and is thus free to speak and act freely.
Find out, over the weeks, some key initiatives in countries where important organizations have found evidence of reciprocal links between animal cruelty and violence against people, and act to prevent escalation of violence in homes and in society. Recommendations for key measures for policy makers and providers of services to people and animals are also formulated, to contribute to a debate on how social and legal mechanisms can be developed in France, to ensure the well-being of humans and animals.
For
forty years, there has been a growing interest in what is now called
“the Link”, that is to say
«The discovery that acts of interpersonal violence are preceded or accompanied by acts of cruelty to animals in a predictable manner (1)»
Over
the past two decades, more and more factual studies have been
published on animal abuse and its links to violence against human
beings, and this area of research is now recognized as a
discipline in its own right. Sociologists, criminologists, social
workers, psychologists and lawyers (2). In this field, animal abuse
is commonly defined as:
«Socially unacceptable behaviour that intentionally causes pain, suffering, preventable stress or the death of an animal.»
Today,
it is increasingly recognized that animal abuse is a potential
indicator of aggressive or violent behaviour towards humans. A
variety of initiatives are emerging around the world in favour of
measures and procedures that take this knowledge into account in
order to prevent the escalation of violence within families and
society.
The National Link CoalitionThe National Link Coalition, headquartered in the United States, is a
pioneer in promoting the Link. This coalition is led by a steering committee of US specialists in the prevention of all forms of
domestic violence, whose mission is to promote policies and practices
to improve the safety of people and animals.
In
2008, One Voice led the company in recognizing the relationship
between animal abuse and violence against people by sponsoring an
inaugural conference at Oxford University entitled “The Link
Between Animal Abuse and violence against humans “. This
conference was a start for the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
(OCAE), (3) whose president and co-founder, Andrew Linzey, is also vice president of One Voice. It brought together leaders in this
field to analyse the Link and its profound implications in social and
legal policy around the world and to set up an essential research
agenda.
Papers
presented at this conference by academics and specialists in crime
and crime prevention, law enforcement, social action, animal welfare,
child protection, education and compassion, veterinary services,
spousal care and the elderly were the subject of a published book,
the Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence (4). This book has
been translated by One Voice (under the
title Link: violence on animals and humans) to raise awareness of these issues in
France (5).
The
problem of the Link is particularly important for One Voice, which
bases its action on an ethic of non-violence and works to promote the
protection of animals as a societal value, based on the belief that
all life must be respected. In 2008, as part of its mission to build
a better, non-violent future for humans and animals,One Voice also launched the “I listen to my conscience” initiative (6).
53 %
French households have a pet
28 %
French households have a cat
25 %
French households have a dog
The
Link question is very relevant in France, where 53% of households
have at least one domestic animal. About 25% of households have a dog
and 28% of households have a cat. France is even the country with the
highest pet population in Europe with 7.5 million dogs, 11.5 million
cats, 7 million birds, 2 million rodents and 27 million fish (7).
Sources
1 Phil Arkow, dans sa préface de l’ouvrage d’Eleonora Gullone Animal Cruelty, Antisocial Behaviour, and Aggression: More than a Link, The Palgrave MacMillan Animal Ethic Series, 2012.
2 Flynn, Clifton P., Understanding Animal Abuse: A Sociological Analysis, Lantern Books, 2012.
3 http://www.oxfordanimalethics….http://jecoutemaconscience.one…
4 The Link Between Animal Abuse and Human Violence, Sussex Academic Press (1er déc. 2009).
5 Andrew Linzey, Le Lien : Violences sur les animaux et les humains, One Voice, 2012.
6 http://jecoutemaconscience.one…