Bizkaiko Foru Aldundia - Diputación Foral de Bizkaia

The Observatorio de la Violencia de Género (Observatory on Gender-based Violence) in Biscay has been carrying out monitoring on the progress that has been made in recent years in relation to taking animal abuse into account as an important factor in the fight against gender violence, and the protection of victims.

The relationship that is established from this perspective is found in the same context as the violence that is directed towards other family members, especially children and dependent adults, who the abuser instrumentalizes as a means to harm their partner.

The consequences of this reality may be even more serious in the case of victims who have a functional, sensory or intellectual disability.

Animals are often a particularly vulnerable part of the family unit, to which is added the problem of invisibility and lack of consideration of them as victims. The harm that they objectively receive as sentient beings is in itself a problem that needs to be tackled via the protection and recovery of these victims.

Furthermore, as part of the family, they are involved in affective connections that are established between the family members, and their suffering and needs become factors of greater vulnerability for the other victims of the violence in the following sense:

- Psychological violence that causes suffering as a beloved being.

- The experience of blackmail added to the framework of emotional and family relationships

In Spain, it is estimated that one in every four homes is shared with a pet, to which we should add other animals in close proximity and the emotional ties in rural environments or in specific spaces. Possibly for this reason, as well as due to growing social awareness, there are more and more cases known in which an animal suffers abuse, the objective of which is to cause pain to the women who are victims of violence. In fact, the FBI has recognized this as a form of familial violence since 2016.

Within the framework of the Subcommittee for a State Pact on Gender Violence, in which 66 professionals from different fields made their proposals and contributions to be considered in the Pact, Ms. Blanca Hernández Oliver, the former Government Representative for Gender Violence, Parliamentary Adviser and expert on the matter of violence against women, posed, amongst other matters, the recommendation that actions resulting from the harm that aggressors often cause women through their pets or their possessions should be transferred to the Domestic Violence Courts.

In 2009 in the Basque Country, the report on the Evaluation of the Scope and the Effectiveness of Shelter Resources in Domestic Abuse Against Women – Institutional Response to the Shelter Needs of Women Victims of Domestic Abuse in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, introduced a wake-up call about this matter in its assessment, and in the “Areas for Improvement” section:

“The legal prohibition on introducing domestic animals into shelters (except for guide dogs for the blind) merits reflection. On occasion, the most normalized and enhancing emotional and everyday bonds are established with pets, whose presence can contribute to their carers’ recovery”.

In summary, different aspects that signal the need to consider the presence of animals in cases of gender violence and their inclusion in interventions and care are identified:

• Possible abuse of the animal in itself.
  
  
• The instrumentalization of the animal as a way to inflict profound harm on the abuser’s victims due to their emotional bond with the animal.
  
  
• Animals as prominent aspects in the recovery from psychological harm, boosting victims’ self-esteem and security.
  
  
• The possibility of physical safety that they may offer.
  
  
• The importance of resolving an obstacle in already difficult circumstances: leaving abusive situations.