WASHINGTON—The HSUS, as a part of its First Strike® program,
will hold its annual Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness
Week April 18-24. “Animal Cruelty IS Family Violence” the theme
of the week for 2004, will draw attention to pets who are
mistreated in the course of abuse within the family. The HSUS
has resources to help people protect their pets from these dire
situations.
The HSUS asked several of the largest domestic violence
shelters around the country for their perspective on the family
violence/animal cruelty connection. Their responses indicate
that 91 percent of adult victims and 73 percent of children
talk about incidents of companion animal abuse during shelter
screening interviews. However, only 18 percent of the shelters
surveyed routinely ask about pets when a victim comes to them
for services. According to Virginia-Marie Beckett, manager of
The HSUS’ First Strike campaign, “These findings show that
while domestic violence advocates recognize the connection
between animal cruelty and family violence, they need
additional resources to assist victims in safety planning for
companion animals.”
“We want to bring this message to all communities,” said
Beckett. “It’s important to understand that pets need a safe
place to be, just like other family members. We are offering
solutions to help human service and animal protection
professionals establish Safe Havens for Animals™ programs.”
These programs involve collaborative relationships between
domestic violence shelters, animal care and control agencies,
animal shelters, veterinarians, and even boarding kennels to
provide temporary housing for pets who come from violent
homes."
Rita Smith, executive director of the National Coalition
Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), adds, “We know some victims
of domestic violence stay too long in a violent home to protect
their family pet. Safe Havens for Animals provide a critical,
community based approach to stopping violence.” In addition to
NCADV, two other national domestic violence advocacy
organizations, the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) and
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), are lending
their support to the Animal Cruelty/Human Violence Awareness
Week and promoting it to their members.
The HSUS will be introducing an online listing of many Safe
Havens for Animals type programs, guidelines for establishing
such programs, information on how to promote awareness locally,
and a new poster, which was distributed to animal shelters,
domestic violence shelters and other social service agencies
across the country, during the Awareness Week. Visit
www.animalcrueltyisfamilyviolence.org to access these free
resources.
The HSUS First Strike program has shed light on the violence
connection since 1997. For the past four years, The HSUS has
been tracking reports of high-profile animal cruelty cases from
around the country. Each year, The HSUS compiles information on
more than 1400 cases, which is only a snapshot of the problem
of animal cruelty in the United States. The number of cases is
cause for concern and demonstrates the need for heightened
awareness of the problem and proactive measures to combat it.
The Report on Animal Cruelty Cases in America from 2003 will be
available April 18. The HSUS is the nation’s largest animal
protection organization with more than seven million members
and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals,
with active programs in companion animals and equine
protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in
research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS
has protected all animals through legislation, litigation,
investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The
non-profit organization, which celebrates its 50th anniversary
in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices
across the country. For more information, visit The HSUS’ Web
site – www.hsus.org.
