There is an alarming trend of young people committing shocking acts of violence and killing in our society. Many of those who commit violent acts have a history of abusing animals. Lynda Stoner, Australian actor and animal activist, examines...
The Cycle of Violence
One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill and torture an animal and get away with it.
Margaret Mead
Human beings' treatment of animals has been acknowledged for centuries to reflect an individual's attitude to fellow human beings. We are not born with a cruel gene, it develops as a consequence of environment and society. In 1905 Freud suggested that clinicians pay special attention to children who are cruel to animals.
Today there is growing evidence that childhood violence toward animals is often a sign something is terribly wrong, and acts as a warning of future violence against humans. With guidance from adults children can be taught to empathise with the sentience of other creatures. Without intervention and/or positive mentoring they may become locked into a lifetime of perpetuating cruelty. Violence - whether the victim has two or four legs, wings, or fins - is violence.
In the last decade social scientists and law enforcement agencies have begun to study in detail the roots of violence connecting child maltreatment, spouse and partner abuse and aggression in our neighbourhoods. Law enforcement officials, prosecutors, victim service providers, physicians, mental health providers, and child/adult protective service officials are teaming with animal control officers and veterinarians to protect the most vulnerable in our community.
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Animal Cruelty Linked to Violence Against Humans
Researchers, the FBI and other agencies in the USA, have linked animal cruelty to domestic violence, child abuse, serial killings and the recent rash of killings by school-age children. Among the most notorious of those have been Albert DeSalvo (The Boston Strangler), Theodore Bundy, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam), Jeffrey Dahmer, Marc Lepine, Carroll Edward Coleis and Martin Bryant - all with a history of animal torture and killing in their childhood. Five of six students in the USA who went on shooting rampages in 1999 had histories of animal cruelty in their childhoods.
Kip Kinkel, 15, allegedly walked into his high school cafeteria and opened fire on his classmates. Two were killed and 22 others injured, four critically. Later that day police found his parents shot to death in their home. It was reported by family and friends Kinkel had a history of animal abuse. He often bragged about torturing and killing animals.
Mitchell Johnson, 13 and Andrew Golden, 11, allegedly shot and killed four students and a teacher at their school. A friend of Andrew's said he shot dogs "all the time with a .22". Luke Woodham, 16, stabbed his mother to death then went to his high school where he shot and killed two classmates and injured seven others. Prior to the killings Woodham stated in his personal journal that he and an accomplice beat, burned and tortured his dog Sparkle to death. There is a gruesome litany of case histories of killers, rapists, batterers and child abusers who "practised" on animals when they were children.
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Why do children harm animals?
Most professionals agree that animal abuse is not just the result of a personality flaw in the abuser, but a symptom of a deeply disturbed family. Perpetrators of violent acts against animals are predominantly adolescent males who come from all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. Many are reflecting the violence they experience at home. Compelling studies show children who abuse animals have been victims of child abuse themselves. Children who witness their parents reacting to anger or frustration with violence often participate in pecking-order battering with the next vulnerable member of the family, usually the companion animal. Back to Top
Neglected Animals, Neglected Children...
It is estimated that 88% of animals living in households with domestic violence are either abused or killed. Of all the women in America who enter shelters to escape abuse, 57% have had companion animals killed by the batterer. Neglect of companion animals can be indicative of neglect to children in the family. Officials in the UK and the USA are now trained to observe animals' food and water bowls and other signs of neglect. Veterinarians are learning to look for warning signs of abuse in animals. The American Veterinary Medical Association's position statement is: "The AVMA recognises that veterinarians have occasion to observe cases of cruelty to animals, animal abuse or animal neglect as defined by state law or local ordinances. When these observations occur, the AVMA considers it the responsibility of the veterinarian to report such cases to the appropriate authorities. Such disclosures may be necessary to protect the health and welfare of animals and people." Cruelty to animals is a crime and must be treated as such. It is also a symptom of disturbed individuals and families and a predictor of other problems in the making. Court action in Australia and around the world against those who harm animals has been minimal but increasing numbers of overseas courts are recognising that early intervention may be very effective in preventing on-going crime. Cases of severe or repeated violence against animals demands criminal punishment as well as psychiatric treatment. Ideally such treatment should reach the entire family not just the abuser.
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What can we do?
Make it our business to get involved. Early intervention can help break the cycle of violence. It is foolish and dangerous to dismiss childhood cruelty with "kids will be kids". If a child is a bully or is cruel to animals, that child is warning the community he or she needs help. Community education is imperative. To hear a child or an animal being beaten next door and do nothing is to condone and participate in that abuse.
Above is a reproduction of a billboard created in the USA for the Washington Humane Society.
The text reads:
People who abuse animals rarely stop there
Studies show that people who abuse their pets are also likely to abuse their kids. So if you see an animal mistreated or neglected, please report it. Because the parent who comes home and kicks the cat is probably just warming up.
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