House plan would Accelerate Detection of Child, Animal, and Elderly Abuse by Connecting Investigators

      A House committee advanced this week a plan that could save the lives of children, the elderly, and animals in the State of Missouri simply by having different types of investigators talk to one another.

      House Bill 1298 would make those who investigate the abuse of children, the elderly, and other vulnerable persons mandated reporters of animal abuse and visa versa, and require the necessary cross training for those investigators.

      “There’s a direct correlation between child abuse and elderly abuse in most cases, and animal abuse.  In this bill we’re asking for agencies involved in any of the reporting on childhood abuse and animal abuse to cross-report for the other,” said bill sponsor Holly Jones (R-Eureka). 

“Law enforcement and Child Protective Services are often the ones who see animals abused, and children in neglectful and abusive situations, and cross-reporting and training is being implemented across the country to enable those in a multitude of fields to report that abuse.”

      Jones shared with the House Special Committee on Urban Issues statistics to back up her proposal, and she said they are disturbing.

“Seventy-five percent of abused women who have companion animals; dogs, cats, those kinds of thing, have reported history of that companion animal either being threatened or abused by their intimate partner, with children being present for that abuse 90 percent of the time.  Other studies have shown that over half of children have been exposed to animal abuse in their short childhood years.”

      Committee Chairman Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City) said the proposed change could lead to cases of abuse being discovered earlier by authorities.

“If it’s happening with an animal then it’s likely happening with a child, if there is one in the home, so giving that cross-training for our animal abuse folks to be able to recognize this, as often times they are the first person to respond to many issues in a home.”

The relationship between children and their pets is recognized as treasured and crucial to emotional development, and the development of empathy, responsibility, and social skills.  Aislinn McCarthy with the Missouri Alliance for Animal Legislation said it is that much more tragic, then, when a child’s pet becomes a target of abuse.

      “Children perceive their pets as special friends, important family members, providers of social interactions, affections, and emotional support.  In homes where the child’s being abused or neglected, pets take on an even more special role.  They take on the role of an attachment figure.  This pet may be the child’s only experience of love without violence.  This pet may also be the child’s only protector.”

      Jackson County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Devon Tarantino dealt with special victims cases for four years.  She said animal abuse investigators are, indeed, often the first authorities to visit a home in which children are being abused.

“If they go to a scene and they are able to identify issues or concerns of child abuse or neglect when that is present, adding them to the list of mandated reporters and adding additional training to help them identify the signs of child abuse will help victims get the care and attention they need early and quickly, and I think that is one of the biggest benefits of this bill, is early detection and prevention.”

      Tarantino said delays in detection of abuse in a home are not always the result of investigators not having yet witnessed it.  Often when investigators are present, they are not told about abuse.  She said HB 1298 could make a difference in those situations as well.

“Sometimes our children and adult victims are not ready to talk about their abuse.  They’re just not.  But you know what they are ready to talk about?  Maybe the abuse of their pet or the abuse of another family member, and so say, for instance, you have a child going to the Child Protection Center and they are not ready to disclose their own abuse but they will disclose about their companion animal being abused, and so this bill, in those situations, would allow us to get services and resources in place into that home prior to it really escalating.”

      The committee heard similar testimony from Ashley Stanley, the Director of Community Education and Outreach at Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter in Kansas City.  She told the committee she has encountered many awful and sobering stories of animal abuse that were made more heartbreaking by how children were affected. 

“For children, especially, the first red flags that abuse or neglect may be happening in the home can be spotted in the conversations that they have about their animals.“

“In our work we’re in schools every single day, and throughout the years I’ve heard stories of animals being thrown down stairs; dents left in walls from repeated instances of adults in the home banging their animal’s head into them; one child walked outside one morning to take care of his family dog and found his dog hanging from a tree in their backyard.”

      Stanley joined the advocates who told legislators that Jones’ proposal could save lives.

      “Early intervention on both the human and animal side is crucial to stopping the cycle of violence.  HB 1298 creates a path for early intervention that can save both human and animal lives.  It gives both those working to protect animals and those working to protect children the knowledge and tools to work collaboratively to mitigate abuse in all its forms earlier and more efficiently, ultimately creating healthier and safer communities throughout the state.”

      The committee voted 6-0 to advance HB 1298.  It faces another committee vote before it could be considered by the full House.