Animal Cruelty Legislation

Humane Canada™ is proposing Violence Link training for Judges be included in Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code. The Bill, which has been referred to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights for review, would require newly appointed judges to take courses on sexual assault law.

According to a Maclean’s article “The need for judicial education in sexual assault trials is clear. The law of sexual assault is plagued by persistent rape myths and stereotypes, despite Parliament’s efforts to expunge them. When courts get these cases wrong, the human cost is high. Perpetrators may go unpunished. Witnesses may be humiliated. Victims may be discouraged from reporting crimes.”

The intent of Bill C-5 is clear and well-intended, however; it is missing an important component: a clause to make training on the Violence Link mandatory for the Judiciary. Humane Canada™ has requested to witness before Parliament and submitted a policy brief to the committee.

The Violence Link is the relation between cruelty to animals and violence against vulnerable people, mainly women and children. Recent studies in Canada confirm the high rate of co-existence of animal maltreatment and gender-based violence and the co-relation of animal abuse to the more severe forms of human abuse – both physical and sexual:

• 89% of participants report their abusers engaged in animal abuse;
• 65% report their abuser used physical harm to their animals to control, coerce or punish them;
• 14.5% report their abuser killed their animals;
• 56% of women who flee violence report delaying leaving their abusers due to concerns about the family pet;
• 1/3 of those who do flee report returning to either check on the family pet or to move back in with the abuser because of the pet;
• 82% of bestiality cases involve the sexual abuse of a child.

The above evidence-based research is a small sample of all of the research that indicates where there is animal abuse there is a high probability of human abuse, and sexual abuse is prevalent.

So why is training on the violence link imperative for judges? If the Judiciary is not aware of the evidenced-based research on the violence link, their ability to properly assess its implications will be hindered and sentences imposed may not \ address factors such as rehabilitation and protection of the public.

No one can make informed decisions if they do not have all of the information. Violence Link training, supported by the evidence-based research noted above, would assist Judges in their understanding of this important background and context of offenders and offences. More to the point, this training would equip Judges with the critical knowledge to assess and evaluate submissions and evidence in relation to sentencing of offenders for animal abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual offences where there is a violence link context.

Bill C-5 is at a standstill in the legislative process due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Humane Canada™ will continue to push for these inclusions and keeping you updated on its progress. Thank you for your support.

Links:

• Bill C-5, explained in detail
• What is the Canadian Violence Link Coalition?
• What is Humane Canada doing to address the Violence Link?