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Animal Cruelty and Sexual Abuse

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Sexual abuse of animals often happens concurrently with sexual assaults on people.

The studies on this page show the connections between animal cruelty, sexual abuse of animals and sex crimes against people, including sexual homicide.

Sexually-abused children are five times more likely to abuse animals than children who are not sexually abused.[1]
Twenty percent of children who sexually abuse other children also have histories of sexually abusing animals.[2]
Up to 37 percent of sexually violent juvenile offenders have a history of animal sexual assault.[3]
The FBI found high rates of sexual assault of animals in the backgrounds of serial sexual homicide perpetrators.[4]
In an Australian study, 100 percent of people who committed sexual homicide had abused animals, and 61.5 percent of animal abusers also had assaulted a human.[5]
Those convicted of committing crimes against people on one or more occasions were more likely to have had sex with animals during their childhood or adolescence than other respondents.[6]
Of juveniles who engage in sex with animals, 96 percent also admit to sex offenses against humans and reported more offenses against humans than other sex offenders their same age and race.[7]

References

1. Ascione, F. R., Friedrich, W. N., Heath, J., & Hayashi, K. (2003). Cruelty to animals in normative, sexually abused, and outpatient psychiatric samples of 6- to 12-year-old children: Relations to maltreatment and exposure to domestic violence. Anthrozoös, 16(3), 194-212.

2. Duffield, G., Hassiotis, A., & Vizard, E. (1998). Zoophilia in young sexual abusers. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, 9, 294-304.

3. Monique R. Frazier, Physically and Sexually Violent Juvenile Offenders: A Comparative Study of Victimization History Variables 99 (unpublished dissertation), Utah St. Univ. 1998.

4. Ressler, R. K. et al (1988). Sexual homicide: patterns and motives. Lexington, Mass.: Lexington Books.

5. Clarke, J. P. (2002). New South Wales police animal cruelty research project. Sydney, Australia: Unpublished report, New South Wales Police Service.

6. Hensley, Christopher, Tallichet, Suzanne E., and Singer, Stephen D. 2006. Exploring the Possible Link Between Childhood and Adolescent Bestiality and Interpersonal Violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 21, No. 7, 910-923.

7. Fleming, William M., Jory, Brian and Burton, David L. (2002). Characteristics of Juvenile Offenders Admitting to Sexual Activity with Nonhuman Animals. Society and Animals. 10 (1), 31-45.

Frequently Asked Questions about Animal Cruelty

Animal Abuse & Childhood Deviance, Child Abuse and Elder Abuse

Animal Abuse and Domestic Violence

Animal Cruelty Demographics

Animal Cruelty Facts, Statistics and Trends

Animal Cruelty Laws by State

Animal Cruelty, Serial Killers and Violence

Animal Hoarding Fact Sheet

Animal Neglect

Resources for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors

Selected Research: Connections Between Violence toward Animals and toward People

What To Do If Your Pet Is Abused or Killed