Gender violence is a scourge that not only affects women, but also the animals that live in the home and that are often victims as well. According to 2020 statistics, 30% of women victims of gender violence in Spain have pets. And according to studies carried out in the USA, up to 86% of women affected by gender violence report abuse to their animal and 59%[1]% delay leaving home because they cannot find accommodation for their animal. It must be taken into account that, in Spain, shelters for women victims of gender violence do not allow animals to stay. For all this arose VioPet, a program that temporarily shelters the animals of women victims of sexist violence.
The goal of VioPet is to create a network of safe spaces for animals from homes where gender violence has occurred. It was born in 2013 at the initiative of the doctor Nuria Querol who became aware of the relationship between gender violence and animal abuse during her training in the United States. Subsequently, VioPet has achieved the support of the General Directorate of Animal Rights and the Ministry of Equality.
Núria Querol is a doctor and professor of Profiling and Analysis of Criminal Behavior at the University of Barcelona, and she explains more details about VioPet in the following interview:
Although VioPet emerged in 2013, institutional support through the General Directorate of Animal Rights and the Observatory of Violence towards Animals, which in March 2020 included it in the Contingency Plan against Gender Violence in the face of the COVID gave you a big boost, how has VioPet developed since then?
The program has been evolving and growing a lot from 2020 until now. From the beginning there was a significant demand from women, showing that it was a need, often unspoken and hidden out of shame.
Although in Spain more than half of the homes are multispecies, we have not fully integrated it into the development of care plans for victims, homeless people, emergency protocols, etc. and we end up generating institutional violence on the victims, which we must avoid at all costs, since it depends on us. At VioPet, more than a thousand calls are received per month, more than a thousand cases have been resolved, nearly 1.500 animals have been sheltered... these are dizzying numbers, although there is always room for improvement :)
At VioPet, temporary accommodation for animals can be shelters, residences or foster homes. Which ones predominate and what requirements and compensation do they receive?
The idea is that the animals are in an environment that is as similar to the one they had with their human companion, so foster homes are prioritized. From the beginning, the applications for shelters were an incredible outpouring of solidarity. Stably, there are about 1.200, but they continue to be added every day and they are very necessary, since it is necessary to cover the entire territory well and we must take into account that there are women who live with several animals, in fact, the average is 1,5 animals, so the more houses available, the better.
The essential requirements are basically the responsibility of caring for a living being, which they do wonderfully, for as long as they can. Ideally, the foster care coincides with the time the victim needs to recover, but if this does not happen, foster care is never pressured. An effort has been made to ensure that foster care does not involve a financial cost, although there are some foster people who prefer to buy food, new toys, etc. and save cost to the program. Truly the heart and kindness of most foster homes is impressive. They know that they are making it possible for a victim to get out of a potentially lethal situation while caring for her animal, which gives them a satisfaction that is very difficult to describe.
When I see the photos and videos and the affection with which they treat the animal so that it forgets the violence and receives only love... ugh it is difficult not to shed a tear.
How is the situation in Spain compared to other EU countries and the US with respect to animal protection related to gender violence?
Spain has a peculiarity that makes it unique: it is the only country in the world where an animal shelter program is supported by the Government. In the rest of the countries, it is carried out entirely through NGOs, as was VioPet before. On the other hand, what they are ahead of us in is creating an area within the resource for women, so that the animals are in the same enclosure, so that they can spend time together. This is the model that we support from the program SAF-T (Sheltering Animals & Families Together), to which VioPet is a member and we are part of the board of directors.
In 2018, the US approved a law to support initiatives in this regard that includes an important annual project and aid financing package. Although from my point of view, this service must be structural and offered within the portfolio of aid to victims of violence.
Is there any common denominator in these homes in which vicarious violence towards animals occurs?
The truth is that the case mix is so complex and unique that it is difficult to define a common denominator. However, something that has caught my attention since I started visiting victims of violence and we talked about animals is that, when there were situations of verbal violence and it was going to escalate to physical violence, the dog would get between the woman and the animals. children, if there were any, and the aggressor.
There were cases in which the dog had been bought by the aggressor “to his liking”, choosing the breed, to train it, and there was little interaction between the dog and the woman, but if there was violence, the situation was clear for the dog. In these cases, when the aggressor went to prison, the woman kept the dog because she had grown fond of it.
I remember a woman in particular, who, when talking about a German shepherd, told me “I would never have chosen a dog that big, but since it was his... although now, I couldn't live without him. And my son less so. He saved us from many beatings and I don't know why he did it, I only know that he put himself between us and him and no one could get close. I don't know what would have happened without him.. "
Do you have any advice for those women who are beginning to suffer abuse in the home where animals also live?
The most important thing is that no one deserves to be mistreated and live in fear and ask for help: we have resources to listen to them, support them and accompany them and their animals.
What approximate percentage of dogs, cats or other animals are fostered at VioPet?
Mainly dogs and cats are welcomed, dogs in a higher percentage, but also small mammals such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, turtles, etc. In rural areas, women can have relationships of affection/love with species that are not the ones we usually think of, such as chickens, geese, etc. And there we also had to intervene! When it comes to caring for all victims of violence, we must have a great deal of humility, given that we are continually learning.
There are many cases of animals that you have helped find a temporary home, but could you tell us about any of them?
We were activated by social services to take in a dog and a cat from a victim who had suffered such a significant attack by the abuser that she was admitted to the hospital. The shelters take photos and videos with all the love for the victim and to encourage them in their recovery process. The woman, still hospitalized, told us that the best medicine was photos and videos of her animals.
We should never underestimate the strength of the human-animal bond. Finally, they were able to meet again to start a life free of violence and those moments are what give meaning to the program.
To help the emotional well-being of the animal in the phase of separation from its guardian and adaptation to the temporary home, do you have the help of an ethologist, educator, veterinarian...?
The truth is that from an investigation in which I detected that 19% of women explained that their animals had behavioral problems derived directly from violence or a violent environment, we saw that we had to provide a solution. The animal suffered and re-victimized the woman, they had a very bad time. That's why we contacted educators and ethologists to help us if we detected more problems.
This was a pilot test in 2008, so it is something that has always been taken into account. Of course, we also collaborate with veterinary professionals, they are essential, because in some cases we have found animals with signs of abuse or that required some treatment. It is something to be expected in these contexts and therefore we must anticipate it.
Do you use painkillers and/or other natural therapies such as Bach flowers, Aromatherapy, etc. for cases of separation anxiety, fears, etc.?
Personally yes! I have used Aromatherapy in the senior adoptions I have done. Many foster homes also use this type of products, especially when adapting to the new home. And some of our veterinarians and educators recommend them.
*If you are a victim of sexist violence and you need your animal to be taken in, you can call the VioPet phone number (+34 673 765 330) to activate the protocol. You have more information on the website VioPet.es
[1] Results of a 2012 Alberta SPCA study and pilot program “Violence to animals and interpersonal violence in Spain: first results”, Querol N. (2011, September).
