Many people consider their animals to be important members of the family and feel a strong bond with them.
Some domestic violence offenders will take advantage of this bond and abuse, threaten, or deliberately neglect animals as a way of intimidating, threatening or coercing their victim.
It is a criminal offence to intimidate a person by threatening to harm their animal. Animal abuse is one of the factors which may be considered when police are investigating Coercive Control. The NSW Police Force recognises the connection between animal abuse and domestic violence and encourage people to report such matters.
Harming an animal (by killing, injuring and / or deliberately neglecting) is an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 (POCTAA).
Inspectors from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSCPA), Animal Welfare League (AWL) and NSW Police Force are officers under POCTAA and can take action accordingly. RSPCA and AWL are the Subject Matter Experts in relation to animal cruelty. NSW Police Force, RSCPA and AWL agencies can work together or separately to respond to an incident involving animals.
Lucy’s Project has extensive information on their website about animal abuse and domestic violence.
Contact Information
NSW Police: 000 in an emergency or your local Police Station.
RSPCA: 1300 278 3589
Animal Welfare League (AWL): 8899 3333
Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000
People will often remain in an abusive home due to fears for their animals if they are left behind.
If you are in this situation, there are options available for you and your animals including pet friendly refuges, animal foster carers or boarding facilities including:
Domestic Violence Line: 1800 656 463
Link2Home: 1800 152 152
Empower You App: search “animals” under services
RSPCA Community Program: (02) 9782 4408
Speaking to a Domestic Violence Officer at your local Police Area Command or Police District who may be aware of some additional, local services.