Fig. 1.1
Woman with cat on shoulder
Introduction
Domestic violence is a serious social problem across the world that has short- and long-term effects on individuals dominated and violated by trusted âloved onesâ (GarcĂa-Moreno et al. 2005; Garcia-Moreno and Watts 2011). Beyond this, it also negatively impacts more than the immediate victims targeted and/or directly exposed to it. Extended families, local communities, and whole societies are impacted not only by the injuries that are causedâvisible and hiddenâbut also by the estimated economic losses, such as lost days at work or the cost of healthcare to treat the injured (AIHW 2018; GarcĂa-Moreno et al. 2005; Garcia-Moreno and Watts 2011). While not all injuries are permanent, many are; and in many places including the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and many European countries, homicides from domestic violence occur at least weekly (AIHW 2018; NCADV 2018; Statistics Canada 2016). For companion animals, however, domestic violence carries additional risks, such as being killed by human perpetrators of violence, often without any redress or public scrutiny; being left with violent perpetrators when human victims flee; and the very real possibility of being sent to an animal shelter for fostering and adoption but picked up by a new human âownerâ and the possibility of forced euthanasia, even if rescued (see Patronek 1997). The main aims of this book are to (1) draw attention to the link between domestic violence and animal abuse, (2) take seriously the abuse (and neglect) companion animals can experience in domestic settings, and (3) more widely explore human-companion animal relations. In particular, we move beyond those mainstream discourses that stress the importance of acknowledging animal abuse largely, or solely, in order to recognise and address human-to-human abuse. One part of this is considering more-than-physical-violence harms done to animals experiencing domestic abuse. Another part is recognising how integral positive human-animal relations are to those (human and other species) trying to recover from domestic violence.
Our intention is to represent human-animal relationships in not only accurate but also dignifying ways. This calls for us to go beyond recounting the benefits humans can derive from companion animals as if animals were machines or commodities to be used and discarded. Focusing on the interconnectedness between humans (mostly women) and animals, we ask questions about interspecies reciprocity, mutuality, and welfare in the contexts of domestic domination, control, and violation. As a result, the central themes of this book are rescue, refuge, and recovery, in relation to human and animal victims/survivorsâ experiences of domestic violence. Yet, this book is as much about emotional connections and empathic love, as it is about seeking rescue and refuge from domestic violence. As we will show, interspecies companionate relationships of connection and love can be life sustaining. For more than a few caught up in domestic violence, these relationships can literally provide victims/survivors with the will to live, eat, sleep, and keep caring for others, and in the process, maintain the will to rebuild their lives.
As we will explain, it is a misconstruction to view companion animal relationships as unidirectional. Most do not flow from human to animal or vice versa. Instead, they are circular, flowing between human and animal and back again in a loop that is consistently reinforced through constant, caring, and empathic interactions. These interactions involve physical touch and proximity, non-verbal and verbal interactions, and an awareness of and curiosity about difference. In contrast to conventional portraits of âpet ownership,â they may be founded on empathy and not based on assumptions about animalsâ inferiority. We call these empathic connections. In this book, empathic connections are emotionally attuned interactions between humans and other animals that depend upon and promote emotional closeness, physical touch, care of self and other, and an awareness of each otherâs needs that may be different from our own. With these connections come feelings of rescue, refuge, and sanctuary.
As we explore in Chap. 4, when we speak of empathic love between humans and animals we are referring to ongoing, loving companionate relationships that are based on mutual regard and care, emotional attunement, and reciprocal responsiveness to each otherâs interests and welfare. Empathic love may also include alliances of solidarity, and not just emotional connection. These alliances may be the result of empathic connections, often forged by sharing domestic space together, which can engender some powerful entanglements, particularly in the context of domestic violence, where the power inequalities between humans and animals may be even more accentuated. Even so, an important part of this book is to draw attention to the asymmetrical power relationships that humans and companion animals can experience in the contexts of domestic abuse. By drawing attention to the negative effects domestic violence can have for companion animals, not just humans, we show how companion animals can be victims of domestic violence in their own right.
We use ideas from feminist intersectionality to recognise the potential interconnections between love and abuse, and gender and species. As we explain in Chaps. 3 and 7, our use of intersectionality focuses mostly on the intersections of species, gender, class, and sexuality. Because of the depth and richness of data from one of our projects in particularâthe Loving You, Loving Me interviews (see Chap. 3 for a detailed outline)âwe spend most time providing a close-up examination of nine womenâs reported experiences of domestic violence by abusive male spouses, along with focusing on the experiences of their companion animals. These stories are used for illustrative purposes, with the narrative details providing fine-grained understandings of how violence can take hold in domestic settings and be hard to recognise, dislodge, seek help for, and obtain some form of socio-cultural redress. Emblematic of the womenâs stories are the themes of relationships, rescue, refuge, and recovery. As the book unfolds, these themes provide useful ways to consider the wider questions about the politics of domination and the construction of family and significant others.
We hope that this book will be a useful resource for those in domestic violence policy making, service provision and beyond, to draw on when making the case for the establishment of services that enable human and animal victims of domestic violence the opportunity to remain together. We also hope it will inspire more research and different forms of service provision that recognise the needs of animals caught up in domestic violence.
Nevertheless, a few caveats are in order. It is not our aim to suggest that it is only womenâcisgender and heterosexual womenâwho are at risk of being subjected to domestic violence. It has now been well established that domestic violence negatively affects a diverse range of groups, across gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, age, and, as we will explore, species. Highlighting what animals mean to a small group of mostly heterosexual Australian women in domestic violence situations is just one part of a much broader suite of projects, programmes, and campaigns needed to advance collective understanding and prevention of domestic violence. Many other projects are being undertaken, and yet more still need to be initiated, to address and prevent violence against all groups, across age, genders, sexualities, and other categories of difference (e.g., children, men, women, transgender people, and others). Work taken to prevent and redress violence with victims who are also perpetrators of abuse is equally important. Anger management work, behaviour change programmes, and other attempts to intervene in domestic violence all have a place in the collective efforts to stem and prevent domestic violence. Many other projects and possibilities could be mentioned. Our point is that we recognise that domestic violence has many possibilities, âor faces,â and many complexities. It is not just something that happens to heterosexual women, and certainly not as passive victims with masochistic tendencies. But it is something that happens to many heterosexual women and, by extension, their companion animals, which is the focus of our book.
As we will show later in this book, several studies have shown that it is common for many victims of domestic violence to remain in violent situations for fear of their animalsâ safety and well-being. We also know that for those who do end up fleeing without their animals, additional guilt and fear are likely (see Chaps. 2 and 6 for more information). Much less considered is the depth of the connection between human and companion animal victims throughout these experiences. In particular, we have insufficient knowledge about how human-animal connections can help both human and animal trauma victims try to heal in the aftermath of the violence. This is a driving force for the book. Highlighting these deep, emotional interspecies connections and the benefits they can produce for both is one way to advocate for services that protect both human and animal victims of domestic violence. By focusing on the animals, and on the bond between human and animal victims, it may also be a more engaging and effective way to engage the wider public in serious and informed discussions of domestic violence.
While domestic violence is more commonly discussed in public than it was historically, there are still several serious misnomers about it. Many people, for example, still feel it is a âprivateâ issue that occurs in the home, and few people have a real sense of the daily fear and terror involved for those who are victims of domestic violence. In part, this is a result of it being a difficult and emotional issue to discuss, one thatâlike animal abuseâis much easier to turn away from. However, we need to dispel existing myths about it if we are to truly address the staggering ubiquity of its practice (see Chap. 2). The first step in achieving this, as those who so courageously highlighted its existence several decades ago pointed out (e.g., Pizzey 1974), is to make it a public, not private, issue. That means we need to engage people about the topic. This isnât easy to do but a focus on the animal victims, and on the positive aspects of our relationships with other animals in post-abuse situations, is, we think, likely to engage all sorts of people who would normally turn away from the issues.
Working on the various projects that form the basis of this book, which we sketch shortly and detail in Chap. 3, has brought the personal experiences both of us had with domestic violence into full view and has, in some ways, added to the already existing challenges of doing work in this area. It has also given us a deeper understanding of the emotions wrought in our participants when they recounted aspects of their abuse while talking to us. And it has ensured that we remain committed to spreading the word about links between domestic violence ...