Seminar links pet abuse, domestic violence
Monday, June 21st, 2010The Boston Globe, June 21, 2010
About 50 social workers and police officers gathered Thursday at Newton-Wellesley Hospital for a seminar on the subject organized by the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone.
“There are so many barriers to disclosure and conventional ways of thinking about abuse and violence, we want to help change the mindset of the people who see it and prosecute it,’’ said Leone in a telephone interview.
Approximately 85 percent of women seeking shelter from domestic violence in the state also reported pet abuse in their home. About 50 percent of children in shelter care reported protecting household pets from harm, and as many as 25 percent of domestic violence victims have reported that concern for their pets was a factor in their decision to leave or stay with an alleged batterer, according to Leone’s office.
