Child Abuse

Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse are closely linked.

Research has revealed that a high number of aggressive inmates had committed multiple acts of animal abuse as children.

MANY INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLERS BEGAN WITH ANIMALS

Albert De Salvo, known as the Boston strangler
Jeffrey Dahmer,
Moses Sithole,
Gert van Rooyen, the list can go on and on.

During childhood, serial killers could not retaliate toward those who caused them humiliation, so they chose animals because they were viewed as weak and vulnerable.

Emotional and mental abuse involves a person acting in a certain way to either control, isolate, manipulate or scare someone.

Often, for an abused woman or child, a pet is the only source of love and affection. This makes the tie to the animal even stronger and gives the abuser more power and control over the victim through the pet.

An abuser may give the pet to his victim as a gift with the express purpose of using the pet to “manipulate and control” his victim.

Youth and animal abuse

There are many reasons why youth engage in violence against animals, including being a victim of abuse, observing abuse daily and lacking healthy coping mechanisms. Youth who torture or kill animals often demonstrate antisocial personality traits. This includes a lack of empathy, remorse, and guilt. These children also might be prone to pathological lying and juvenile delinquency.

While not all psychopaths become serial killers, many serial killers possess attributes of psychopathy.

What’s Wrong with Them

Any form of animal abuse in the community is very concerning. This behaviour is a well-established early indicator of future assault, murder, rape, partner abuse and child abuse. Not all kids who harm animals will go on to hurt people.

Children who witness animals being slaughtering or being encouraged to hunt and kill animals may become desensitised towards animals’ feelings.

Why?

To control an animal (i.e., animal abuse as discipline or “training”).
To retaliate against an animal.
To satisfy a prejudice against a species or breed (e.g., hatred of cats).
To express aggression through an animal (i.e., training an animal to attack, using inflicted pain to create a “mean” dog).
To enhance one’s own aggressiveness (e.g., using an animal victim for target practice).
To shock people for amusement.
To retaliate against other people (by hurting their pets or abusing animals in their presence). To displace hostility from a person to an animal (i.e., attacking a vulnerable animal when assaulting the real human target is judged too risky).
To experience nonspecific sadism (i.e., enjoying the suffering experienced by the animal victim, in and of itself).
Curiosity or exploration (i.e., the animal is injured or killed in the process of being examined, usually by a young or developmentally delayed child).
Peer pressure (e.g., peers may encourage animal abuse or require it as part of an initiation rite).
Mood enhancement (e.g., animal abuse is used to relieve boredom or depression).
Sexual gratification (i.e., bestiality).
Forced abuse (i.e., the child is coerced into animal abuse by a more powerful individual).
Attachment to an animal (e.g., the child kills an animal to prevent its torture by another individual).
Animal phobias (that cause a pre-emptive attack on a feared animal).
Identification with the child’s abuser (e.g., a victimized child may try to regain a sense of power by victimizing a more vulnerable animal).
Posttraumatic play (i.e., re-enacting violent episodes with an animal victim).
Imitation (i.e., copying a parent’s or other adult’s abusive “discipline” of animals).
Self-injury (i.e., using an animal to inflict injuries on the child’s own body).
Rehearsal for interpersonal violence (i.e., “practicing” violence on stray animals or pets before engaging in violent acts against other people).
Vehicle for emotional abuse (e.g., injuring a sibling’s pet to frighten the sibling).

Please report youth you see or suspect are abusing animals (It is not just an animal), Your one phone call could save many animals and members of the communities lives.