Animal Abuse as a Strategy of Coercive Control

The oppression of women, children and animals are intertwined in patriarchal systems, and nowhere is this interconnection more apparent than in the co-occurrence of animal abuse and domestic abuse. A humancentric approach dominates definitions and the prevailing public story about domestic abuse across society. This conceptualisation focuses on the human victim-survivor in isolation but undermines the status of the animal and the significance of the animal in the dynamics of abuse. We need to extend our construction of domestic abuse to include animals as victim-survivors.

The oppression of animals is compounded by the dominant status of animals in society as ‘less important’ than human beings and ‘property’ that is ‘owned’ by humans. This conceptualisation of animals is underpinned by animal welfare legislation in the UK that provides a platform for perpetrators of domestic abuse who abuse animals to continue the abuse of animals, often with little consequence or challenge.

This research highlights the many parallels between the abuse of animals and people in the context of domestic abuse. Research findings highlight the importance of an integrated approach across human and animal welfare services in order to safeguard the whole family (including animals), prevent homicide, and manage a perpetrator’s behaviour.