Co-occurrence of domestic violence and violence against pets: the approach of Polish courts

• In Event: Variants of Domestic abuse

Abstract

On an increasing scale, domestic relationships involve not only humans but also companion animals, resulting in them too being affected by the dysfunctions present in close relationships. Notwithstanding, the anthropocentric definition of domestic violence does not include violence against pets. Meanwhile, research on the link phenomenon (as the subject of this analysis is called in the literature) shows a significant correlation between domestic violence and abuse of companion animals. In Polish law abuse of animals can be a crime in itself, punishable under The Animal Protection Act, as well as a form of psychological, instrumentalised violence against the keeper of these pets, which has already been recognized by the Polish courts as a form of mistreatment of a person close to the perpetrator, regulated in the Penal Code. The primary objective of the presentation is to reflect on the co-occurrence of domestic violence and violence against pets, as well as on the methods of combating them through coordinated systems since taking into account the correlation between the different forms and victims of domestic violence can contribute significantly to ensuring greater safety in the domestic space. To this end, a literature review on the link phenomenon, how the issue is framed in Polish law and selected criminal cases in which the correlation between the perpetrators' use of violence against animals and humans has occurred will be presented.

Author

• Weronika Rosa, University of Warsaw