By Nelly Glatt F., psychotherapist
Originally published in a dossier on animal abuse by "El Universal" (Mexico)
We currently live in a constant climate of insecurity and uncertainty. Violence manifests itself in interconnected ways. Every day we are shaken by dramatic events that worry and move us.
We currently live in a constant climate of insecurity and uncertainty. Violence manifests itself in interconnected ways. Every day we are shaken by dramatic events that worry and move us.
Animal abuse is both a contributing factor to social violence and a consequence of it. It forms part of the cascade of violence that affects us all, both as individuals and as a society.
Violence is “an intentional act that can be unique or recurrent and cyclical, aimed at dominating, controlling, assaulting or harming others. It is almost always exercised by people of higher rank, that is, those who have power in a relationship, but it can also be exercised on objects, animals or against oneself.”
Violence inhibits the development of people and can cause irreversible damage; it takes different forms of expression that can range from a verbal offense to homicide.
La crueldad es “una respuesta emocional de indiferencia o la obtención de placer en el sufrimiento o dolor de otros, o la acción que innecesariamente causa tal sufrimiento; ha sido considerada un disturbio sicológico. La crueldad de los niños, que incluye a los animales, es un signo clínico relacionado a desórdenes antisociales y de conducta”.
En las familias en las que hay violencia, ésta es más frecuentemente dirigida hacia los más débiles, lo que incluye ancianos, mujeres, niños y animales de compañía. El maltrato hacia los animales es tolerado por aquellos que lo observan; se minimizan sus causas y sus efectos, y los padres, maestros y comunidades que no dan importancia al abuso animal en realidad incuban una bomba de tiempo.
It must be emphasized that the detection, prevention, and treatment of violence against animals is an act of humanity in itself. Animals are creatures that, in relation to human beings, occupy a lower position on the evolutionary scale; this makes us responsible for their well-being, since having supremacy carries with it an obligation, a responsibility, to act as guardians of intellectually inferior species. If we truly want to combat violence, part of our struggle also consists of eradicating the mistreatment of other living beings.
The second point I want to emphasize is that this violence towards animals can serve as a detector and warning sign of domestic violence, since cruelty to animals and human violence are directly related. We must understand that children who mistreat their pets may witness cruel acts against human beings or may themselves be victims of abuse by someone older and more powerful.
These children, both victims and perpetrators, are learning and internalizing the violence they themselves will perpetuate when they grow up and have their own families. This mistreatment may be the only visible sign of abuse within a family, and this can help identify the perpetrator of the violence in that family.
A person who abuses an animal lacks empathy for other living beings and is at greater risk of violence toward other people. The American Psychiatric Association considers it one of the diagnoses for behavioral disorders. If a child tells us about the mistreatment of their pet, they may also be telling us about their own suffering.
Threatening to harm a pet can be a form of psychological violence used against a child to make them "behave" or to conceal abuse they are suffering. According to experts, witnessing or being the victim of cruelty can be as traumatic as physical abuse, and therefore, the child is highly likely to become an abusive parent, who in turn may produce another generation of violent children.
Algunas de las características que pueden presentar los niños y jóvenes que abusan de los animales son: sentirse indefensos y bajo el control de otros; usan a los animales como víctimas para demostrar su autoridad y poder; emplean a los animales como chivos expiatorios por el enojo que sienten hacia otras figuras de autoridad que los maltratan; ; son discriminados de algún modo; reciben castigos severos; tienen baja autoestima; sienten gran recelo contra la sociedad; tienen bajas calificaciones y están aislados socialmente.
Some characteristics of the family context of those who abuse or mistreat animals include: adults who were sexually abused in childhood; adolescents who have a more negative relationship with their parents, family, and peers than those who do not abuse animals (Millar & Knutson, 1997). Animal abuse is more frequent in homes where other forms of violence, alcohol, or drug abuse are present.
Cruelty breeds violence, and violence breeds crime. A study conducted in the United States found that not all animal abusers become serial killers, but all serial killers have a history of animal abuse (Gena Icazbalceta). Most children may go through a phase where they might hurt insects as part of exploring the world; however, with proper guidance from their parents, they come to understand that animals are sensitive to pain.
The education children receive helps them establish their values and behavioral patterns. They acquire their moral and ethical principles by imitating the role models around them.
Taking all of the above into consideration, we can only conclude that there is an urgent need for the integrated effort of parents, teachers, social workers, veterinarians, pediatricians, animal protection associations, and psychologists to prevent animal abuse and its subsequent transformation into social violence.
