Animals can be abused, threatened or killed within coercive control cases, a crime that affects 2.4 million people a year in the UK. Perpetrators of domestic abuse identify that special bond people build with their pets and use this to exert control over children, partners or elderly relatives. Legislation and safeguarding strategies for people often miss the importance of pets in relationships and families. As a result, not only are instances of animal abuse missed, but opportunities to protect people are, too.
Following on from the success of last October’s APDAWG event during Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, we are excited to collaborate again to highlight why it is so essential to consider pets used and abused within these horrific crimes. Our impressive speaker lineup will include professionals in this field, as well as survivors of the abuse, who will bravely share their experiences. Many of those who attend this event and many of the MPs invited will have experienced abuse within a personal relationship. Working together, we can help in #BreakingTheLink.
Our progress this year
Since we launched this part of the campaign in England and Wales, we have taken some significant steps forward. Now, 93% of police websites have been amended to provide advice about animal welfare to survivors of coercive control, including where to find further help for their pets. Information Sharing Agreements have been drawn up to ensure seamless sharing of vital intelligence. Police training and internal advice has been adapted. We have reached wider audiences through podcasts and national media such as the Sunday Express. Recently, we had 150 attendees at our presentations with South Yorkshire Police from safeguarding agencies across the region.
Domestic Abuse Awareness Month 2024
Each year, October is designated to raise awareness around this crime, and ending it is a priority for politicians. We are excited to take our campaign back to Westminster on 22nd October 2024. Joining us will be expert speakers and panelists, including Dr Mary Wakeham, CEO of Refuge4Pets, who provides foster homes for pets within coercive control and Sam Beckinsale, a survivor and producer/writer/actor. We will announce more speakers soon. You can book attendance by emailing events@naturewatch.org – spaces are limited, so entry may close when we reach capacity.
Please do remember if you are affected by Domestic Abuse, the National Domestic Helpline is 0808 2000 247
Speaker biographies:
Dr. Mary Wakeham
Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Refuge4Pets.Mary has over 15 years practice experience working in the domestic abuse sector, including founding Refuge4Pets in 2017 driven by her passion to enable freedom from domestic abuse for all victim-survivors, both people and animals.
She is also an academic researcher with a specialism in the dynamics and implications of animal abuse in the context of domestic abuse. In 2021 Mary completed her PhD in the Centre for Gender and Violence Research at the University of Bristol titled Animal Abuse as a Strategy of Coercive Control which was the first in-depth study to explore this issue in the UK.
Sam Beckinsale
Sam has had a long and varied career in TV, film and theatre ranging from dramas such as London’s Burning and Holby City, to comedies such as Time After Time and An Evening with Gary Lineker to feature films such as Katherine of Alexandria with Peter O’ Toole, Steven Berkoff and Joss Ackland.
LOVE? is a product of that career and her own experience of Domestic Abuse, particularly coercive and controlling behaviour, which is highly patterned. When Sam discovered her perpetrators tactics and her own experiences were shockingly similar to so many others across the world, LOVE? was born.
One voice telling millions of voices story.
Sam now works with numerous organisations such as Crown Prosecution Service, UK police forces, NHS and other organisations and businesses to aid the real understanding of coercive control, its life threatening and life changing impact and the huge costs to society as well as to the victims. She hopes to help towards changing the outcomes for both perpetrators and all victims of this world wide crime epidemic.
Sam is Patron of Broxtowe Women’s Project, Surviving Economic Abuse Ambassador, White Ribbon Champion and an Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse Advisory Council Member.
The LOVE? Project – bringing together criminal justice system, business, health, financial, political and grass roots Domestic abuse organisations, students and general public together to connect, communicate, affect cultural change and support each other via LOVE? film events – has recently been launched in US as well.
Sam got caught out because she believed the myth that domestic abuse is direct violence only. She doesn’t want anyone else to be caught out like she was.
Mark Randell – Campaign Manager at Naturewatch Foundation
Mark is a retired senior detective who now trains police officers, prosecutors and politicians around the world on the connection between crimes against animals and those against people. His background working on covert operations within serious crime and terrorism have enabled him to access areas of public protection normally out of reach within animal protection.
As a result the welfare of animals can be taken more seriously.
His training work has included projects in Namibia, Italy, Canada, Austria, Moldova, Ireland, Australia, India and particularly across Greece and Ukraine.
He is now working alongside police forces in the UK to try to influence policy and strategy around how the protection of animals keeps people safer too.
Dave Martin – The Links Group
David Martin has been a veterinary surgeon for over 25 years and has spent the vast majority
of that time working as an independent expert in animal welfare. He is the Group Head of Animal Welfare for IVC Evidensia and a Trustee for the Links Group. He has considerable experience in supporting investigations into n on-accidental injuries in animals.
Rebecca Stephens
Rebecca has 30 years’ experience within the social work profession. She has worked as a front-line practitioner in areas including mental 
health, disability, domestic abuse and in hospital and community-based settings in Australia and England. She has provided consultancy and training to government and non-government organisations to progress workforce development initiatives. She was the International Qualifications Advisor for the Australian Association of Social Workers and led the development of a globally trademarked supervision model for veterinary, social work and veterinary social work practitioners.
Rebecca currently works at the University of Sussex, Brighton, as a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and is a PhD candidate exploring how and where social workers and veterinarians can work together to promote the safeguarding of humans and animals.
Rebecca is the Director of Education with the International Association of Veterinary Social Work and is actively developing inter-disciplinary partnerships across social work, social care, veterinary and animal-welfare practice settings to promote knowledge exchange, skills development, education and training opportunities to support the development of Veterinary Social Work in the UK.
Dr Samantha Pickles
Samantha is the Chair and Founder of the Animal Related Crime Working Group, a multi-agency group supported by the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences and the University of Bedfordshire, where Samantha is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science. She has been a forensic scientist since 2002, having been employed with Forensic Alliance (later known as
LGC/Eurofins Forensics), MFL Forensics and Forensic Access. During this time, she was cross-trained within several departments whilst specialising in the discipline of Forensic Entomology. Before moving into academia, Samantha was the Head of Animal Forensics with Forensic Access, where she applied forensic strategies and methodologies in animal welfare and cruelty cases, and co-developed training packages for veterinary staff in the UK and USA.
Samantha is an advocate of collaborative working, and in conjunction with the ARCWG is committed to raising awareness of the ‘links’ between animal and human abuse. This includes seeking changes to educational and professional training programmes, and offering guidance to those encountering (or likely to encounter) such matters.
