Tool for assessing the risk of abuse of animals kept by women insituations of intimate partner violence

Abstract

Several researchers have already highlighted interpersonal violence related to animal abuse. Animal abuse can be a consequence of interpersonal violence or occur concomitantly with it. In situations involving violence against women by an intimate partner, pets are threatened and abused as a way of intimidating, punishing, or controlling the victim, especially when there is a strong bond between the animal and its owner. This study aimed to build a structured instrument to assess the risk of abuse to which a companion animal tutored by a woman in a situation of violence is exposed, based on the questions presented in a questionnaire to identify  animal abuse of women in situations of intimate partner violence, in addition to scientific basis related to the topic. In the form of a questionnaire, the proposed tool is made up of nine statements and five possible answers, aiming to measure how close the relationship between the pet and the woman is, the threats or attacks that the animal has already suffered, and the frequency of drug use by the aggressor. 1 (one) point was assigned for “completely disagree,” 2 (two) points for “partially disagree,” 3 (three) points for “I don’t know how to answer,” 4 (four) points for “partially agree” and 5 points for “I totally agree.” According to the score assigned, the animal’s risk of being mistreated was categorized as low (9 to 18 points), medium (19 to 28 points) or high (29 to 45 points). Each statement has the same weight but is presented in order of increasing severity. Less alarming situations are presented at the beginning of the questionnaire, and more serious ones, such as the actual death of the animal or the woman’s feeling that her attacker can kill her, are presented at the end. The tool must be tested and adequate to effectively measure the abuse risk that a companion animal tutored by a woman in a situation of violence is exposed to.