![Domestic violence](https://one-voice.fr/app/uploads/2023/09/One_Voice_Violence_Animale.jpg)
![Domestic violence](https://one-voice.fr/app/uploads/2023/09/One_Voice_Violence_Animale.jpg)
Domestic violence
Animal abuse and domestic violence: brutality goes hand in hand
Concealed, silent, violence is everywhere, including in the home. When blows rain down on spouses and children, they also fall on pets. Firmly opposed to all forms of violence, One Voice is working to ensure that the link between animal mistreatment and domestic violence is recognised.
Many countries have already understood this, particularly when it comes to the fight against domestic violence, where penalties and support measures apply to violent spouses and children as well as to household pets, which are a source of comfort but are martyred and sometimes used as blackmail tools.
Why are we fighting to recognise the link between animal abuse and human violence?
One Voice, a pioneer in France on the link issue
In 2007, One Voice sponsored the inaugural conference at Oxford University entitled “The links between animal mistreatment and violence towards people”, thus demonstrating its leadership on this theme. Professionals from animal welfare, child protection, crime prevention, law, social work, education and veterinary science from five continents sat around the table to analyse the evidence for this link, its moral significance and its implications for social and legal policy. The articles written by academics for this conference formed the basis of a book, Violence against animals and humans: the Link. This book has been translated by One Voice with the aim of raising awareness of these issues among the French public.
Infiltrated at the scene of abuse
We will never be able to forget the looks on the faces of Léa and Lola, two dogs who were subjected to the assaults of a zoophile for years, and whom we rescued from this hell. This man had previously been convicted of sexually assaulting girls under the age of 15. We are also thinking of Chevelu, the stray cat who died in the street, kicked by a man who also beat his son and his partner. As a grassroots association, One Voice can no longer count the number of times it has rescued domestic animals, victims of the worst abuse. These operations are further proof, if proof were needed, of the link between animal mistreatment and domestic violence.
Our immersions in dog training clubs have enabled us to lift the taboo on practices sometimes carried out out of sight of families, ignoring the leash beatings, insults and strangulations suffered by their companions in their absence. It’s a vicious circle of hatred that often leads to aggression in the animals, who end up abandoned or even euthanised. Our investigators also filmed teachers forcing children to abuse their dogs.
Changing the laws in France
At One Voice, we believe that violence is intolerable and that those who perpetrate it must be fairly punished, whoever the victim may be. The link between violence against animals and violence against humans has enabled mentalities to change in certain countries and to better protect human victims too. For example, in the United States and the United Kingdom, child protection and animal protection services are working together, in particular through cross-reporting. Another example is the use of animals in shelters for women abused by their partners.
The link proves that there is no such thing as “violence”, but rather “one” form of violence, perpetrated against individuals – human or animal – in a state of physical or psychological weakness. The need to free ourselves from a legal distinction based on the nature – human or animal – of the victim is obvious to us.
Key figures
An alarming fact
Our proposals
- Official recognition of the link between animal abuse and human violence.
- Make it possible to cross-reference reports of animal abuse with reports of violence against humans in order to step up the monitoring of violent individuals who are dangerous to society.
- Reinforce the role of animal health professionals as watchdogs by obliging them to report proven cases of mistreatment to their local Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations (DDPP).
- Strengthen cooperation between prefectures and professionals and associations working to combat domestic violence and protect children.
- Raise awareness among professionals and associations working to combat domestic violence and protect children of the need to take these weak signals into account.