Agencies team up to fight animal cruelty, child abuse
“The efforts of both social workers and animal control officers are critical in protecting animals and children from further harm and removing them from dangerous situations.”
Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt
In homes where there is child abuse, there is oftentimes animal cruelty.
That’s why the Department of Children and Families partners with the state’s Department of Agriculture and the Office of the Attorney General to cross-report incidents of child abuse and animal cruelty.
April was Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals month. State officials met Friday to discuss the correlation between animal cruelty, child maltreatment and other forms of violence. They highlighted how prevalent maltreatment is across Connecticut, and how agencies are coordinating to protect children and animals.
DCF Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes said these instances of maltreatment require state agencies’ collective efforts for protection, “which can only be accomplished by collaboration, information sharing and process improvement across all state agencies.”
The state legislature passed a bill in 2011 requiring the cross-reporting of animal abuse and child cruelty cases.
In 2021, DCF received 134 written reports from the Department of Agriculture. Of those reports, 27 were open cases, 36 had histories with DCF and eight reports met the standard for an abuse or neglect investigation, according to data from DCF.
Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt said the connection between animal cruelty and child abuse “has been well-documented.”
“The efforts of both social workers and animal control officers are critical in protecting animals and children from further harm and removing them from dangerous situations,” Hurlburt said.
Attorney General William Tong stated that animal cruelty is a “heinous crime” and is “often a serious warning sign of additional abuse.”
One study showed that some 71 percent of pet owners entering domestic violence shelters reported that their abuser threatened, injured or killed family pets, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
These harmful acts can also have a reverberating effect. Children exposed to domestic violence were also found to be three times more likely to be cruel to animals than children in nonviolent households, according to the American Humane.
Members of the public can make a reports of animal cruelty directly to the local Animal Control Department in the town where the concerns have been noted or by calling 860-713-2506 or emailing AGR.AnimalControl@ct.gov. Those wishing to make a report can remain anonymous.
A reasonable suspicion of child maltreatment can be made to the Child Abuse and Neglect Care line by dialing 1-800-842-2288. The Care line is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Callers can remain anonymous.