Animal Cruelty and Child Abuse

Statistics

• Children exposed to domestic violence are three times more likely to be cruel to animals
• Children who are sexually abused are five times more likely to abuse animals
• Kids 10 and older who intentionally harm animals are two to three times more likely to have been abused
• 43% of school shooters have a history of abusing animals
• 60% of families under investigation for any form of child abuse, and 88% of those specifically investigated for physical child abuse also reported instances of animal cruelty
  • Of that 88% – 26% of the victims went on to become victimizers themselves, abusing their family pets
• Animal abuse is characterstic in the developmental histories of between one in four and two in three adult violent offenders

Resources

• Children and Animals at Risk: Guidelines for Human Services Personnel
• Signs of Animal Abuse for Child Protection Workers and Other Human Services Personnel

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