Companion animals in the fight against gender-based violence towards women and domestic violence

Cats & Dogs

Companion animals in the fight against gender-based violence towards women and domestic violence

Policy Briefing

The EU has to date not introduced any legal instrument to tackle gender-based violence and more general domestic violence. Following a fitness check conducted to analyse how current EU legislation impact violence against women and domestic violence, the European Commission will introduce a legislative proposal to combat violence against women and domestic violence, in line with the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025. There is a clear correlation between domestic violence and violence against companion animals. We are calling for the EU to include provisions related to companion animals to protect all victims of domestic violence, including women, children and animals.