Animal Cruelty and Demestic Abuse

[gregory]

A few years ago an animal charity saw a correolation with animal cruelty and domestic violence.

Recently in the Guardian it was reported that more money was given to donkey sancturies than to refuges for women. This may be hyperbdole but it does get one thinking I suppose.

Where does this leave the HVG? Do we stop giving to animal charities and switch our allegiance?

Well one answer to this is that the employees of animal charities presumably pay taxes and some of that tax goes into refuges and counselling services.

The other fis that there is a branch of feminism called eco-feminism which believes in looking after nature.

These feminists are not so concerned with the glass ceiling as other feminist groups and probably say that there is a connection with animal cruelty and domestic abuse.

This means, I suppose, that I have come full circle and if we give to domestic abuse charities any taxes the workers pay may go into rescuing animals. Or does it because how much tax money does go into the care of animals? So does that mean that our taxes should be used for animals maybe the answer is yes.

A belated Happy St Georges Day to any exiled English people. I think St Andrew has a day too it may be in November. Could anyone tell me is the cross on the Saltire St Andrew's Cross or just a cross?

[Alan H]

Could anyone tell me is the cross on the Saltire St Andrew's Cross or just a cross?

Yes, it's the cross of Saint Andrew. See this thread for a discussion about it.

[clayto]

I too read The Guardian article ---- I have visited the Donkey Sanctuary ---- it is not that far from where I live (about as far from Scotland as you can get without falling off the S Devon cliffs). It is remarkably well run and provides services world wide. I think the points in the article about the special difficulties in marketing charities for abused women (etc) are very valid. The article considered some of the reasons why animal charities might find it easier to attract support, one being that people feel distressed animals are helpless unless humans (who are guilty of inflicting so much suffering) give them help.

We make many modest donations to a variety of charities helping humans and very little to animal charities. Actually, I regard being a veggie as something rather different to supporting animal welfare charities.

This is just a guess but I suspect that people who donate to animal charities also donate more to human welfare charities than do the general public / average person (or however you want to put it.) It would have been of added interest if the article had considered this point.

Chris

[gregory]

Yes one gets different statisics from different newspapers and sources so I do not suppose we will ever really know whether animal charities or domestic abuse charities get the most money.

But yes I daresay the people who give to one charity may give to others too, try to spread it around a bit. Other people may concentrate on one particular pet charity.

People who work and pay taxes will contribute without them knowing what the porportions are. For instance domestic survivors abuse is fairly well supported by the Scottish Executive and more evently distributed around Scotland whereas in England provision tends to be more concentrated in London. Also the London Boroughs run refuge provision whereas in other parts of England and Scotland it is seen to be run independently but with funding though various forms of tax although independant funding like Children in Need can be used too. It does depend on which newspaper and which writer one reads regarding information and if one has an interest in the subject in the first place.

Thanks for telling me about the St Andrew's cross Alan its what I learned at English school but you know how it is with schooling its never neutral. Same as all education or so I was taught at a school which teaches these things!

[jaywhat]

I am interested in the point in Gregory's first sentence, which is not to do with charity.
Although we have to be wary of statistical correlations, it runs along with the idea that people who park illegally or thoughtlessly are often law breakers in bigger ways.
If you are a violent husband twds your wife, perhaps it is likely that the famly pet will get short shrift as well!

A case for police to take more attention of bad parkers and so on.

(I am copying this to somewhere else because it is hardly a veggie matter)