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Warning!: extremely graphic and disturbing pictures |
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| Cruelty
towards animals can be seen in many ways: |
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| Neglect,
abandonment,
irresponsible ownership, cruel public shows using animals, or acts
of overt cruelty. Acts of cruelty towards animals can only be punished
in Spain with administrative sanctions: one can go to prison for
having stolen a car but not for having abused an animal. |
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| We
at SOS Galgos believe that it is about time that Spain has legislative
means with which to efficiently fight cruelty towards animals: cruelty
cases included in the penal code, more economic and personnel help
and higher involvement from different administrations and institutions. |
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Violence
towards people (battered women and children) added to the saturated
state of the judicial and penal systems are regular arguments
for not improving the situation against cruelty towards animals.
There
is increasing evidence that shows the connection between animal
abuse and violence directed at humans. Taking action against animal
cruelty, then signifies a benefit in the fight against violence
toward humans:
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| 1.
Animal abuse may indicate that a deeper problem exists: Children
who abuse animals may be living in abusive situations, and may be
at risk of "graduating" to violence directed at humans. |
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| 2.
Animal cruelty may be the only visible sign of an abusive family:
While child and spousal abuse usually occur behind closed doors,
animal abuse is more often committed in the open. |
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| 3.
Witnesses or victims of both animal and human violence are often
more comfortable talking about the animal abuse: This starts a dialogue
with officials which can lead to an uncovering of the perpetrator's
human-directed violence. |
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Violence is violence: A person who abuses animals lacks empathy
for other living beings and is at risk of inflicting violence on
humans. |
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Because the judicial system is overloaded, animal abuse is not considered
a priority as are murder cases, rape, battering and other violent
crimes: Effective handling of animal cruelty cases by law enforcement
officers, prosecutors, and the courts can mean the difference between
curbing violence and permitting it to escalate. |
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6.
But prosecution is not enough: Treatment and monitoring are also
crucial to breaking the cycle of violence. Psychological counseling
can be a positive supplement to sentencing. Innovative programs
which utilize hands-on interaction with animals which help build
empathy, trust and the ability to communicate in a non-violent
way.
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