October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. So what
better time is there to plan a First Strike Conference? A �preemptive
strike� is legalese for a point made by an attorney in anticipation of a
potentially damaging point made by his opponent. By anticipating what
opposing counsel may say, and arguing the point before it can even be
made, lawyers take the legitimacy of an argument out of it before it is
uttered.
Herein lies the idea behind the national initiative
known as First Strike. By looking at the earliest indicators of family
violence, we are in a position to affect an anticipatory strike against
it. And experts have determined that one of the earliest indicators of
family violence is animal abuse. Simply put, those who are beating the
family pet are most likely to abuse other family members too. If not
now, then soon. And by identifying those abusers, treating and/or
punishing them, and finding safe haven for the victims, we are
effectively preempting the almost certain violence to come and take
steps to avoid it.
So what can be done to encourage local law enforcement,
prosecutors, educators, social workers and others to become involved at
the first sign of abuse? We can help them to carry out the initial
strike against family violence. We can bring them together to share
resources, statistics and remedies. And we can do it at a First Strike
Conference.
For the second year in a row, I have been the promoter
of a First Strike Workshop in my area. I encourage all activists to do
the same. Here is the way to do it.
Set your date! Make sure you have about 4-6 months lead
time to line up your speakers. Try to pick a Saturday so that everyone
who wants to may attend.
Line up your speakers: My speakers include Randall
Lockwood, Ph.D, (HSUS), Lt. Sherry Schlueter, (Broward County Sheriff�s
Office); Dr. MaryAnn Jones of the Governors Task Force on Domestic
Violence; Lanna Belolavek, Assistant State Attorney and a veterinary
panel. Your speakers list should include a local assistant state
attorney (or THE state attorney) as well as law enforcement personnel,
counselors or attorneys in the private sector. Dr. Lockwood and Lt.
Schlueter are both available and amenable to traveling to speak at these
events. Other speakers you may want to consider and who I highly
recommend are Ann Gearheart from the Snyder Foundation for Animals
and/or Judy Johns of the Latham Foundation. Phil Arkow and Frank Ascione
are also noted speakers on the subject of animal cruelty and domestic
violence. Local activists may have their own access to people who are
experts from other animal agencies that have successfully initiated
programs to assist animal victims of family violence.
Last year, I included Pat Preu, a victim of domestic
violence who suffered the loss of her cats when her husband drowned them
in retaliation for her leaving him when he held a gun to her head. Her
story has been told on Entertainment Tonight and in Cat Fancy Magazine.
Working with local battered women�s groups, you may be able to find a
similar victim willing to tell her story. You will find that most
speakers will not charge a fee, or you may have to pay to reimburse
their travel expenses. You may be able to get the airline to donate the
airfare, and local hotels, in exchange for putting their name on the
flier, may offer a free night�s lodging.
Find a venue- You should not have to pay for the room.
Try government offices, churches and even condo meeting rooms. The local
hospital may have a classroom they are willing to allow you to use, and
even your local animal care agency may offer a classroom. Plan for about
100 people.
Find a printer- Make up your fliers and ask a local
printer to waive the printing and/or copying costs in exchange for
putting their name on the fliers as a sponsor. Ask your local animal
control agency or humane society if they would sponsor the event by
doing the mass mailing for you. Your regional headquarters of the HSUS
will gladly send out fliers in your state to all interested parties.
Also, find sponsors in the form of local business owners who may be
willing to donate stamps and/or mailing costs. And don�t forget the
power of e-mail.
Who should attend? Be sure to send fliers to local law
enforcement officers, domestic violence workers, prosecutors, educators,
social workers, animal control agencies, and other members of the
community who are committed to stopping animal abuse and domestic
violence are encouraged to attend. By making contact with your local Bar
Association, Mental Health Centers, School Boards and Nursing Licensing
agency, you will learn how to offer continuing education units for your
event.
These units are needed by certain professionals to keep
their license current and are sure to generate interest. You will find
that the workshop is about more than just learning about animal abuse,
it�s also an occasion to meet others who share our goal of stopping
violence in its many forms. Indeed, for years, government agencies and
humane organizations have been working together to find a solution.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), working
with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), released a study in 1996
entitled �The Tangled Web of Abuse� which details evidence that those
who abuse animals, especially those who begin at an early age, will go
on to abuse people. Indeed, Jeffrey Dahmer, Kip Kinkel and the Columbine
killers, to name just a few, all had a history of animal abuse. But
nowhere is animal cruelty more prevalent than behind closed doors. With
little concern for consequences, abusers mistreat family pets for a
variety of reasons, including:
* To demonstrate and confirm power and control over the
family
* To isolate the victim and children
* To force the family to keep family violence a secret
* Teach submission
* To retaliate for acts of independence and self-determination
* To perpetuate the context of terror
* To prevent a victim from leaving or coerce the victim to return
* To degrade victim through involvement in the abuse
There are compelling reasons why we should recognize
animal abuse as a form of battering. It differs from other crimes
committed against animals in that abusing animals exposes the
deliberateness of battering rather than loss of control. The abuse of
animals and children is closely related because both targets are small
and vulnerable.
No single event can reduce a social illness as
devastating as domestic violence, so, there should be post-conference
plans to support victims who fear for the lives of their companion
animals if they flee for their own safety. Since 28% of the women who
call shelter hotlines refuse to seek safety for themselves if it means
leaving their pets behind; it stands to reason that programs set up to
help battered women are not meeting all their needs. After our
conference, the Animal Rescue League seeks to set up a foster network to
provide safe, temporary homes for these at-risk animals. While battered
women and children seek shelter from the storm of domestic violence, we
seek to give them peace of mind and their animals care and comfort until
a permanent solution can be found for both. The First Strike Conference
will address this project as well.
For more information on how to put together your own First Strike
conference, and to learn about other national anti-violence initiatives,
visit the following websites:
The Humane Society of the United States
www.hsus.org
The Latham Foundation www.latham.org
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