Animal Abuse and Domestic Abuse: #INYOURAREA!

In August the RSPCA called for tougher sentencing on animal abusers as statistics show that fewer than 8% of people convicted under the Animal Welfare Act receive a prison sentence.

It got us thinking at JWA about the links between animal abuse and domestic abuse. There has been evidence that suggests that pet cruelty is a warning sign that there may be domestic abuse in the household. When pets live in a household where there is domestic abuse they can become involved in the abusive cycle and experience physical harm as well as being emotionally abused.

How to spot the signs in your area:

Pets are kept outside even in cold weather.

Pets can become afraid and withdrawn, or fearful as they witness physical and verbal abuse of the people they love.

As pets become “accustomed” to the chaos and shouting that often accompanies abuse they may become withdrawn, or may regress to earlier stages of behaviour such as chewing furniture out               of fear and frustration.

Many animals become victims of abuse, themselves so have visible injuries.

An animal may become aggressive when afraid (especially when exposed to the abuser, or someone who reminds them of the abuser)

Addressing Toxic Masculinity!

We are so pleased that organisations such as Axe who sell products targeted at young males are addressing issues around “toxic masculinity”. JWA’s Safer Dating project works with young men looking at issues around consent, peer pressure, positive role models and the importance of respecting yourself and others.  Our project works with young men to recognise the impact of toxic masculinity in intimate relationships as well as encouraging them to independently define what it means to be masculine.

Did you miss International Literacy Day? 

Friday 8^th September marked International Literacy Day, a day that highlights the importance of teaching adults and children how to read in order to eradicate prejudice and poverty. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) found a strong link between countries with high illiteracy rates and prejudice against women. For us it was a chance to highlight how literature can transform lives through celebrating Jewish and non-Jewish female writers that have inspired the team at JWA.

We unfortunately were unable to tweet all the literature that has inspired the dedicated team at JWA so though we would share the rest with you in our newsletter. Happy reading!

Gluckel of Hameln

Hannah Arendt

Emma Lazarus

Gertrude Stein

Amy Levy

Zelda Schneersohn-Mishkovsky

Rachel Bluwstein Sela

Hannah Senesh,

Judith Kerr (children’s author)

Aviva Zornberg

Ruth Prawer Jhabvaler

Anita Brookner

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