Skip to main content
Media centre

Animal abuse campaign brings MP and academics together

10 February 2017

 

Teesside University researchers who link animal abuse and domestic violence met MP Anna Turley who is campaigning for tougher animal cruelty sentences.

The University team’s research looked at Eastern European communities, particularly those where animal abuse is endemic and socially acceptable. Their findings reveal how violence breeds violence, with individuals exposed to domestic abuse having also committed cruelty against animals.

Redcar MP Anna Turley, who has tabled a Private Members Bill seeking tougher sentences for animal cruelty perpetrators, referenced the University research in a Westminster debate her Animal Cruelty (Sentencing) Bill, which is due to have its second reading in Parliament on Friday 24 February.

The researchers and MP met recently at Teesside University where they discussed their shared aim in promoting a change in attitude towards animal cruelty.

A number of Eastern European communities examined in the academic research have a large population of stray animals which face regular violent attacks, creating a vicious cycle of 'endorsed aggression' in which witnesses adopt it as the norm.

The researchers discovered in rural areas, where animal cruelty was more socially acceptable, adolescent males were more likely to abuse animals and had higher exposure to domestic violence.

Anna Turley said: 'I've had a great conversation with the team about their research, which has some incredible findings, particularly around how children and people who abuse animals often go on to abuse human beings and the link between issues such as lack of empathy.

Research such as this is absolutely vital and has real potential to influence

Redcar MP Anna Turley

Commenting on her campaign, she added: 'Just saying all this isn’t enough, I need to have the background, the facts and the evidence behind me to win these arguments.

'Research such as this is absolutely vital and has real potential to influence and prepare the way so that we can potentially change the law or try to do different things to bring the academic research out of the University and into making a difference to public policy.'

Teesside University Professor Paul van Schaik, who also worked on the research, said: 'We found that empathy is an important factor. Children who had more empathy were less likely to commit animal abuse.'

Malcolm Plant, founder of the Making the Link study project and Associate Researcher at Teesside University, said: 'Our study has underlined the link between animal abuse and human abuse and the next step is to use this research to explore animal abuse cases where there is any associated link to abuse of humans. Animal abuse impacts on individuals, families and can permeate a whole society.'


 
 
Go to top menu