Unfortunately, violence occurs against women, children, the elderly and animals in the same family.
By science, it is, in more far-fetched words: “The relationship between violence against animals and interpersonal violence is called Link Theory, which is characterized by studies that identify the ability of an aggressor to act violently, either by actions direct or indirect, against animals and people, especially the most vulnerable”. This explanation comes from a scientific article published in the Brazilian Journal of Development, in April 2021.
The studies are recent in the world. And in Brazil, even younger, the first studies date back to the early 2000s. Basically, in the Theory of Link, violence is understood – exactly – as an Intergenerational Cycle.
“And what does it mean? That dysfunctional family problems are being disseminated by one or more members of this family, unfortunately reaching the entire nucleus. Mainly, reaching the most vulnerable people in this family. In other words, the occurrence of mistreatment of animals is not an isolated factor, as this form of violence is most often an indicator of problems and of equal (or worse) violence against, mainly, women, children and the elderly”, emphasizes the psychologist Patricia Bezzera,
According to the specialist in family, children and adolescents, the research carried out so far shows a very similar scenario among them. Most of these data show that the aggressors are male, both the aggressors of women and animals.
And why is it called the Link Theory? Patricia responds: “Because research and monitoring began to verify that men who attacked their female companions, at some point, were also violent with animals. There are still many ways to go to unravel all the consequences of brutality against women and animals. But the fact is already known and needs to be fixed as soon as possible”, she explains.
The psychologist also emphasizes that the State is not prepared to welcome pets, only women and still having difficulty in this reception. Data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum, point out that one in four women over 16 years old claim to have suffered some type of domestic violence in the last 12 months, that is, about 17 million Brazilian women have suffered some type of violence in the last year. In the state of São Paulo, for example, aggressions inside the home increased from 42% to 48.8%, with the pandemic period in which our country is going through as one of the main aggravating factors.
“They report being afraid to go out and their companions will kill the dog or cat. In the United States, for example, there are already places to welcome and protect women, along with children and animals. In Brazil we still don’t have it”, concludes Patricia Bezerra.
