When a case of animal cruelty appears in the media, most people question why someone would do something like that, being much more shocking when the author is a under-age. Thus, it is normal for a multitude of unknowns to appear on the subject. Why do some children abuse animals? What’s going through your mind? Is it a game for them? Are they “things” for children?
In the last 40 years, many researchers from different parts of the world have tried to answer these questions, in part due to the greater pro-animalist awareness in our society. To tell the truth, many of them still cannot be answered unequivocally, since at the moment the research is insufficient to understand the dimension of the problem, a fact that could be attributed, among other aspects, to the fact that the attacks occur specifically against a different species. to ours, what can be called speciesism.
But… what exactly can be classified as “cruelty to animals”? The most accepted definition in the scientific literature is that of one of the most recognized researchers in this area, Frank R. Ascione: “socially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unnecessary suffering, pain or distress and/or death of the animal”.
Therefore, and although they cause unnecessary suffering to animals, more socially accepted behaviors such as intensive livestock farming that ends up in slaughterhouses, legal hunting, raising animals to obtain their skin, scientific experimentation with animals, shows with animals (bullfights, circus, zoos…). However, the definition of cruelty towards animals should also include, according to several authors, acts of abuse due to negligence when there is intention to cause harm.
Why do some children mistreat animals?
After having interviewed several adolescent offenders, researchers Ascione, Thompson and Black In 1997, they proposed different answers to this question based on the underlying motivations that young people may have when attacking animals. domestic or wild.
According to these authors, Children/adolescents who abuse animals do so basically for these reasons.:
animal phobia (the minor kills or wounds the animal as a preventive attack).
Posttraumatic Play (the minor recreates highly violent scenes as an emotional release).
Training for interpersonal violence with humans (e.g., the minor practices his techniques with animals before daring to harm people).
Vehicle for emotional abuse (e.g., harming a family member’s pet to scare them).
Other explanations
Other authors add some motivations from interviews with inmates from Kansas and Connecticut, who had attacked animals in their adolescence/youth. All examples are real:
To control the animal (the aim is to eliminate behaviors of the animal that are not pleasing, for example, kicking a dog’s testicles to make it stop barking).
To take revenge on the animal (e.g., getting revenge on a cat that scratched the couch by burning it alive).
To satisfy a prejudice against a specific species or race (hatred of cats is very common).
To express one’s own human aggressiveness through the animal (for example, inflicting harm on the animal to prepare the dog for fights with other animals.
For fun and to shock others (e.g., tying two cats by their tails and burning them to watch them run desperately).
Unspecified sadism (desires to hurt, torture and/or kill an animal without having perceived any type of provocation and without any a priori hostile feeling against the animal; one kills for pleasure, to enjoy the process of death). These children would be the ones with the worst prognosis.
Are they “kid things”?
On a psychological level, animal abuse is telling us that there are cognitive dysfunctions (wrong ways of interpreting power and control) and/or environmental in the minor. There are several authors who throughout history have warned of this phenomenon as an indicator of psychological maladjustment (for example, Pinel in 1809, or Margaret Mead in 1964).
In fact, in 1987, the American Psychiatric Association included animal cruelty as one of the 15 symptoms of the well-known Childhood Conduct Disorder. Additionally, children who commit acts of cruelty toward animals are more likely to have more severe behavioral problems than those with other symptoms.
Animal abuse and other forms of conflict
It is also important to highlight that cruelty to animals is related to domestic violence, child sexual abuse and bullying, among others.
Children exposed to domestic violence and/or who are abused (whether physically, sexually or psychologically) tend to be more violent towards animals than children who have not gone through such unfavorable situations. These children may be expressing the pain that their own victimization process entails through the abuse of more vulnerable victims: animals.
In other words: Animal cruelty in childhood can be a warning sign that the family/school environment is being violent or abusive to the minor.so it is advisable to pay special attention to the minor as soon as a situation of animal abuse takes place.
Therefore, these acts should not be considered a simple passing game of children or downplayed; Behind these episodes of cruelty, many traumatic situations can be discovered in which the minor has been the victim.
How can you prevent animal abuse?
Various investigations have shown that educating minors by transmitting positive values towards all living beings on the planet is a very important element in the prevention of cruel acts against animals and treatment, facilitating the development of empathy even towards humans. .
These educational programs help develop a sense of responsibility, concern for others, in addition to collaborating in the development of self-esteem, socialization and cooperation.
The implications that this has on a global scale are clear: if cruelty towards animals were taken into account as a more significant form of aggression and/or display of antisocial behavior, progress would be made in the understanding and prevention of child, youth and adult violence. .
“Three minors escape from the center of Abegondo and kill 40 rabbits” (La Voz de Galicia) “A group of minors frighten the residents of Marinaleda after killing almost 30 animals” (El Correo de Andalucía) “PACMA denounces the boys who kicked a kitten to death in Cuenca” (Huffington Post)
Bibliographic references:
Arluke, A., Levin, J., Luke, C. & Ascione, F. (1999). The relationship of animal abuse to violence and other forms of antisocial behavior. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 14(9), 963-975. doi:10.1177/088626099014009004
Ascione, FR (1993). Children who are cruel to animals: A review of research and implications for developmental psychopathology. Anthrozoös, 6(4), 226-247. doi:10.2752/0892793393787002105
Ascione, FR, Thompson, TM & Black, T. (1997). Childhood cruelty to animals: Assessing cruelty dimensions and motivations. Anthrozoös, 10(4), 170-177. doi:10.2752/0892793977787001076
Ascione, FR (2001). Animal Abuse and Youth Violence, US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Washington: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Baldry, A.C. (2005). Animal abuse among preadolescents directly and indirectly victimized at school and at home. Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, 15(2), 97-110. doi:10.1002/cbm.42
Duncan, A., Thomas, J.C., & Miller, C. (2005). Significance of family risk factors in development of childhood animal cruelty in adolescent boys with behavior problems. Journal of Family Violence, 20(4), 235-239. doi:10.1007/s10896-005-5987-9
Hensley, C. & Tallichet, S.E. (2005). Animal cruelty motivations: assessing demographic and situational influences. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20(11), 1429-1443. doi:10.1177/0886260505278714
Luk, E.S., Staiger, P.K., Wong, L., & Mathai, J. (1999). Children who are cruel to animals: A revisit. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 33, 29-36. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1614.1999.00528.x
