Illinois’ drive to increase protections for domestic violence victims and their pets!

Illinois’ Senate voted unanimously to pass legislature HB 9 yesterday that will allow judges to include animals in an order of protection.

According to the ASPCA, research has shown that much like children, pets are often used as pawns in domestic violence. Without provisions to adequately protect their pets, victims of interpersonal violence may feel compelled to remain in abusive situations. Consider the following statistics:

• 83 percent of directors of the largest shelters for battered women in the U.S. indicated women entering the shelters discussed incidents of pet abuse in the family;
• 71 percent of pet-owning women in shelters reported that a pet had been threatened, injured or killed by their abuser; and
• 49 percent of pet-owning victims who fled their abusers and sought shelter continued to worry about their animals after entering shelter.

Yeah for Illinois! Read more.