Prompted by Signal et al.’s study, this research examines UK “Pet Insurance” policies to see if a... more Prompted by Signal et al.’s study, this research examines UK “Pet Insurance” policies to see if and how experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in interspecies households is excluded under insurance policies terms. Situating our findings within the existing literature on human and companion animal victims of DVA, we discuss the implications for improving cross-reporting and multi-agency action to protect and prevent harm to humans and companion animal victims of DVA. In turn we identify a series of recommendations to combat discrimination in insurance, set out in our conclusion.
In this first blog in a series of six co-authors Di Turgoose and Dr Ruth E. McKie outline their r... more In this first blog in a series of six co-authors Di Turgoose and Dr Ruth E. McKie outline their recent (2019) work on pets/companion animals and domestic violence and abuse. In essence Ruth and Di have started a conversation about, and have called into question the idea of 'persons' specifically who and what counts as a victim/survivor in domestic violence and abuse ‘cases’
Government strategies (such as VAWG) and the Domestic Abuse Consultation (2019) have begun to rec... more Government strategies (such as VAWG) and the Domestic Abuse Consultation (2019) have begun to recognise the importance of supporting and developing strategies to address other ‘invisible’ and ‘vulnerable’ victims/survivors of DVA as distinct topics for empirical study and practical policy research. These developments have been achieved by an increasing awareness that previously ‘invisible’ and ‘vulnerable’ victims/survivors (such as children) should be given independent agency and research and practice strategically developed to address their needs specifically, as well as within the broader context of DVA prevention. Similarly, we argue that the concept of independent agency is equally applicable to companion animals who are victims/survivors of DVA. Non-human animal abuse and DVA are commonly perceived as separate issues and often handled independently (e.g. animal protection and human service agencies), and whilst professional experts in both fields are often not surprised to learn that they are often ‘working’ or ‘dealing’ with the same children, families and perpetrators, non-human animal abuse is largely considered as a risk indicator (‘red flag’) for human abuse. Through this presentation, we wish to start a conversation that companion animals should be recognised as victims/witnesses/experiencing DVA and therefore worthy of victimhood status in their own ‘right.
Arguably, first championed by the second wave of feminism, the origins of the Domestic Violence a... more Arguably, first championed by the second wave of feminism, the origins of the Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) sector in the UK are intertwined with issues of gender inequality and concerns about the harm and violence caused (primarily to women) within the domestic sphere. Exploring this harm, within the post-feminist era, recognition of DVA has tended to follow a hate crime trajectory where, hidden victims remain with vulnerable groups not attaining ideal victim status. As a result, these victims tend to be denied individual agency. We wish to start a conversation that uses a common model within the DVA sector – The Power and Control Wheel – to argue that, the concept of denial of agency is equally applicable to the relatively underexplored area of companion animals/pets as hidden victims of DVA. We utilise perspectives from the DVA and green criminology literature that challenges the hierarchal concept of the species (anthropocentrism) placing humans at the top of a policy agenda comparative to non-human species (speciesism). In doing so, we propose a theoretical and ontological diversification within the field of DVA studies, combining the work of Green criminologists to help give voice to non-humans as independent agents that experience DVA
This is Di Turgoose and Ruth E. McKie’s third blog in a series of six on pets and domestic abuse.... more This is Di Turgoose and Ruth E. McKie’s third blog in a series of six on pets and domestic abuse. This blog details the local reach, influence and impact of their work in the area of Companion Animals and Domestic Abuse in 2019, at a local event on June 21st 2019
Bespoke and generic domestic violence and abuse (DVA) personal safety applications (PSAs) have be... more Bespoke and generic domestic violence and abuse (DVA) personal safety applications (PSAs) have become a popular choice for strategic crime prevention projects by those in the criminal justice sector to achieve justice through digital means as part of the wider digital justice project. These PSAs have been heralded as tools for the protection, empowerment and resilience building of victims in DVA, despite limited independent evaluations. This article explores the use of a generic PSA, which the police have adopted for rollout to victims of DVA in one region of the United Kingdom. We undertook a thematic analysis of data taken from a roundtable and three follow up focus groups with practitioners from the police, criminal justice, DVA specialist sector and victim services, alongside the PSA development team. We found both some support for using this PSA and serious concerns regarding its use in DVA situations.
Prompted by Signal et al.’s study, this research examines UK “Pet Insurance” policies to see if a... more Prompted by Signal et al.’s study, this research examines UK “Pet Insurance” policies to see if and how experiencing domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in interspecies households is excluded under insurance policies terms. Situating our findings within the existing literature on human and companion animal victims of DVA, we discuss the implications for improving cross-reporting and multi-agency action to protect and prevent harm to humans and companion animal victims of DVA. In turn we identify a series of recommendations to combat discrimination in insurance, set out in our conclusion.
In this first blog in a series of six co-authors Di Turgoose and Dr Ruth E. McKie outline their r... more In this first blog in a series of six co-authors Di Turgoose and Dr Ruth E. McKie outline their recent (2019) work on pets/companion animals and domestic violence and abuse. In essence Ruth and Di have started a conversation about, and have called into question the idea of 'persons' specifically who and what counts as a victim/survivor in domestic violence and abuse ‘cases’
Government strategies (such as VAWG) and the Domestic Abuse Consultation (2019) have begun to rec... more Government strategies (such as VAWG) and the Domestic Abuse Consultation (2019) have begun to recognise the importance of supporting and developing strategies to address other ‘invisible’ and ‘vulnerable’ victims/survivors of DVA as distinct topics for empirical study and practical policy research. These developments have been achieved by an increasing awareness that previously ‘invisible’ and ‘vulnerable’ victims/survivors (such as children) should be given independent agency and research and practice strategically developed to address their needs specifically, as well as within the broader context of DVA prevention. Similarly, we argue that the concept of independent agency is equally applicable to companion animals who are victims/survivors of DVA. Non-human animal abuse and DVA are commonly perceived as separate issues and often handled independently (e.g. animal protection and human service agencies), and whilst professional experts in both fields are often not surprised to learn that they are often ‘working’ or ‘dealing’ with the same children, families and perpetrators, non-human animal abuse is largely considered as a risk indicator (‘red flag’) for human abuse. Through this presentation, we wish to start a conversation that companion animals should be recognised as victims/witnesses/experiencing DVA and therefore worthy of victimhood status in their own ‘right.
Arguably, first championed by the second wave of feminism, the origins of the Domestic Violence a... more Arguably, first championed by the second wave of feminism, the origins of the Domestic Violence and Abuse (DVA) sector in the UK are intertwined with issues of gender inequality and concerns about the harm and violence caused (primarily to women) within the domestic sphere. Exploring this harm, within the post-feminist era, recognition of DVA has tended to follow a hate crime trajectory where, hidden victims remain with vulnerable groups not attaining ideal victim status. As a result, these victims tend to be denied individual agency. We wish to start a conversation that uses a common model within the DVA sector – The Power and Control Wheel – to argue that, the concept of denial of agency is equally applicable to the relatively underexplored area of companion animals/pets as hidden victims of DVA. We utilise perspectives from the DVA and green criminology literature that challenges the hierarchal concept of the species (anthropocentrism) placing humans at the top of a policy agenda comparative to non-human species (speciesism). In doing so, we propose a theoretical and ontological diversification within the field of DVA studies, combining the work of Green criminologists to help give voice to non-humans as independent agents that experience DVA
This is Di Turgoose and Ruth E. McKie’s third blog in a series of six on pets and domestic abuse.... more This is Di Turgoose and Ruth E. McKie’s third blog in a series of six on pets and domestic abuse. This blog details the local reach, influence and impact of their work in the area of Companion Animals and Domestic Abuse in 2019, at a local event on June 21st 2019
Bespoke and generic domestic violence and abuse (DVA) personal safety applications (PSAs) have be... more Bespoke and generic domestic violence and abuse (DVA) personal safety applications (PSAs) have become a popular choice for strategic crime prevention projects by those in the criminal justice sector to achieve justice through digital means as part of the wider digital justice project. These PSAs have been heralded as tools for the protection, empowerment and resilience building of victims in DVA, despite limited independent evaluations. This article explores the use of a generic PSA, which the police have adopted for rollout to victims of DVA in one region of the United Kingdom. We undertook a thematic analysis of data taken from a roundtable and three follow up focus groups with practitioners from the police, criminal justice, DVA specialist sector and victim services, alongside the PSA development team. We found both some support for using this PSA and serious concerns regarding its use in DVA situations.
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