Abandoned amongst the bodies…

She wanted to "sleep with someone". She left her 3 year old son in his bed without a blanket or pillow. Just a yellowing mattress… Neighbours had been hearing his cries for help for some time, and called emergency services. He was found in his cot floating on a sea of stinking debris. Garbage and clothes, used nappies, excrement… and some bodies too. His friends, his companions; a dog and two cats were close by. One of the cats had died recently, and the other bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition. Amongst all of this: a fresh vase of lily of the valley.

Driven to the paediatric emergency department, the child was deemed to be in good health despite the fact that the school had signalled recurring hygiene problems. Had he seen his friends die? What had happened to them? Did they die of hunger and thirst with all the suffering that this implies? The mother was taken to court for child neglect and animal abuse, with One Voice acting as civil party in the May trial. She was sentenced in the first instance with a conditional prison term.

This new case tragically highlights another example of the Link which exists between violence towards animals and violence towards human victims. This violence needs to be treated equally in the courts of law, in order to reduce it and anticipate it before it escalates. This will allow for a collective awareness and a combined effort in the various cases, as is already the case in other countries.

Far from being an isolated occurrence, these tragic episodes are rising.

On the 24th of May, in Aix-en-Provence, France, One Voice was again present at a trial, this time for the Griffin case appeal, where the torturer had clearly not appreciated the seriousness of his actions. He received a prison sentence and is banned for life from keeping animals. One Voice is keeping a close watch regarding this case and its victims, as they are also for Lea. When her rapist gets out of prison, One Voice will be there.

And on the Island of Reunion, horror reached new depths in the case of Matheo.

The 3 year old boy was cut up and thrown to the dogs. His torturer, given a life sentence, was known for drinking pig's blood after having gutted them. A witness described, "One day, the dog had misbehaved with the chickens, so he beheaded him". The man was also violent with the boy's mother.

Detecting violence as early as possible and administering the appropriate punishment will allow for its anticipation and for preventative measures to be initiated. What more needs to happen before the State responds to this problem? How much worse should it get?

The link is a tool, the link could have possibly saved Matheo by administering an appropriate early legal response and by providing psychological aid to his murderer.

One Voice has filed several complaints in other affairs where the link is present. It continues to fight so that it is taken seriously…

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