We are at the halfway point of this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, and it’s been a busy time for the team at The Links Group and our allies.
Running from 25 November to 10 December annually, 16 Days of Activism is a global movement, and in the UK, many organisations run events and activities to promote awareness and to drive positive change.
We recognise that abuse takes many forms, and can happen to any gender, any species. We are proud to play our role in supporting 16 Days to raise awareness of ‘The Link’ between abuse of animals and abuse of people.
Our 16 Days started off when trustee and Professor of Social Work Rebecca Stephens and Strategic Delivery Lead Andrea Lynch were part of the speaker panel for Northern Ireland’s Western Health & Social Care Trust’s incredibly powerful virtual conference, Domestic abuse in the Northern Ireland context: Why Here? Why Us? Why Now? What next? They shone a spotlight on ‘The Link’ in the Northern Irish context, particularly rural domestic abuse and the involvement of livestock, horses and wildlife.
Progress has continued in gathering cross-party support for the proposed amendments (No. 316) to the Crime and Policing Bill, currently at committee stage in the House of Lords, aiming to close the current legislative gap, which would allow for stronger protection from sexual abuse of children and animals in the future.
Andrea was joined by Cats Protection Lifeline’s Co-ordinator, Lauren Suitor, to deliver a virtual presentation on ‘The Link’ to the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy (NI) Expert Reference Group, highlighting where joined-up thinking and working can help us all in Protecting Animals, Protecting People.
Links Group trustee Dr. Mary Wakeham was part of a panel presenting during The Improvement Service’s 16 Days of Activism Spotlight Webinar: Understanding Pet Abuse in Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control, an event which demonstrated the benefits of cohesive working in Scotland.
Mary was in action again with a marathon webinar session. First up, she co-presented the final Animal Abuse as a Strategy of Coercive Control for Animal Welfare Professionals webinar for this year, joined by Lifeline’s Amy Hyde and domestic abuse consultant Jacqui Kilburn (more sessions next year!). Following this, she teamed up with Andrea and trustee Dave Martin to be part of a great session with our friends at Hestia, who were celebrating changing their policies to allow pets into suitable, self-contained refuge accommodation.
There’s more to come next week, so check back soon!
