A new training has been set up to help veterinarians understand the link between animal cruelty and domestic violence and how to respond in such situations to limit both animal and human suffering.
In their careers veterinarians are regularly confronted with pets that have been mistreated, but many of them feel insufficiently trained to recognise certain forms of animal abuse and what steps to take in these situations. They are often also unaware of the fact that, in some cases, animal abuse is often accompanied by partner violence.
International scientific research on domestic violence with female victims confirms that in 75% of cases the pet is also threatened or abused and in 25% of cases the abuse starts with the pet. To help vets in such situations, a new course has been set up by the Flemish Government in cooperation with Ghent University.
"Whoever hurts animals can often hurt people too," said Flemish Animals Minister Ben Weyts, who requested the creation of the course. "This new training should avoid animal and human suffering in the future."
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The training course has a double objective: it will make Master students of Veterinary Medicine at the university aware of the link between animal abuse and domestic violence and teach them how to deal with it.
Between October 2023 and May 2024, the training will also be offered to all Flemish veterinarians via regional veterinary associations, and lecturers at other colleges with animal care training can also undergo the training to teach it to their students.
