House Reintroduces Bill to Protect Children and Animals from Abuse

Representatives Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH) and John Katko (R-NY) reintroduced the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in early February to the House of Representatives. The bill also has 22 co-sponsors and focuses on ways to prevent child abuse.

Source: Childhelp/YouTube

The bill includes collecting data and information about animal abuse, because it’s a risk factor related to child abuse. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) endorsed the re-introduction of the bill.

“In a violent household, companion animals are often victims of the same abusive behaviors that harm children, intimate partners, and vulnerable adults,” said Nancy Blaney, director of government affairs for AWI, “Often, the first person to identify a child in a dangerous situation is a law enforcement officer responding to an animal cruelty call.”

The Department of Health and Human Services established the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) through CAPTA to compile information about child abuse cases. This bill would add data on animal abuse to NCANDS.

Source: LawInfo.com/YouTube

Especially in light of the pandemic, where people are spending more time in their homes and facing additional challenges, additional protections are necessary. “Pandemic-related challenges, such as job losses and parenting stress, can significantly increase the risk of violence in the home. There is an urgent need for more comprehensive information about these patterns so that social service providers can understand how to intervene safely and effectively,” shared Blaney.

“There is an unfortunate correlation between animal and child abuse, with perpetrators often engaging in both of these heinous acts,” Katko said. “Animals and children do not deserve to be mistreated, and we have a responsibility to do a better job tracking the behaviors of abusers. This bipartisan legislation does that, by directing the Department of Health and Human Services to study cases where both of these abuses occur. Doing so will help protect children and animals from future abuse.”

Read more about recent animal protections in Congress, including the Big Cat Public Safety Act and Kangaroo Protection Act.

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• California Passes Law to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence and Their Pets!

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