Task Force Information
Clergy Task Force meets at noon on the 1st Tuesday of the month at the Family Justice Center (August 1, October 3 and December 5, 2006)
Education Task Force meets 2nd Monday of every month, at 2:30pm, at the Family Justice Center
Elder Abuse Task Force meets 4th Friday of every month, at 9am
Family Violence Helpline
865-521-6336
CCFV
400 Harriet Tubman St
Knoxville, TN 37915
865-215-6854
Animal Abuse Task Force
Research supports the existence of a link between violence against people and violence against animals.1 Seventy-one percent of pet-owning battered women report that their companion animals have been threatened by their abuser and 57% report that their animals have been actually harmed or killed by their batterers. Most disturbing is the fact that at least 18% of women report that they delay leaving their abusers because of concern over the safety of their pets.2 In families where child abuse exists, 63% also have evidence of abuse of family pets.3 Animal abuse may be in the childhood histories in two out of three adult violent offenders.4 It is time we take animal abuse seriously for its own sake and as part of an integrated approach to combating family violence!
WE are the Animal Abuse Task Force. The Animal Abuse Task Force was founded in December of 2001 by a core group of committed individuals from various constituencies, including veterinary medicine, social work, animal welfare, law, nursing, and law enforcement to represent animals in the battle against family violence.
Our Mission:
A project of the Community Coalition on Family Violence, the Animal Abuse Task Force recognizes that animal abuse often occurs in an environment in which family members are suffering abuse. Our mission is to identify the needs of animals that are not being adequately met; to garner resources to meet those needs, and to integrate our efforts with those of other organizations, including law enforcement, that work on issues of family and animal welfare. Currently, the Animal Abuse Task Force's efforts are focused in four principle areas:
Long-range planning - visioning, budgeting, financing and implementing plans for a stable, permanent, 24/7, short-term safe haven facility to co-house victims of domestic violence and their pets, with the goal of enabling a continuing relationship between the domestic violence victim and the pet during their respective transitions out of their respective violent situations.
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Short-term issue resolution - formalizing a network--of shelters, vets, and potentially others--to care for animals of domestic violence victims on a short-term basis while maintaining the confidentiality and safety of the victims, contact people, and care givers participating in the network.
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Data gathering and empirical support - designing systems for collecting and assembling information that supports our mission through law enforcement, social work studies, animal shelter connections, etc.
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Legal inventory and analysis - conducting needed legal research, identifying existing state laws and regulations impacting animals and their welfare, brainstorming on ways to better use existing laws to our advantage, and suggesting areas for legal or regulatory change
Each constituency represented on the Animal Abuse Task Force has defined its role, needs, and duties regarding animal abuse and its link to violence toward humans.
If you would like to help the Animal Abuse Task Force or would like to be considered as a short term foster home for the animal victims of domestic violence, please email us at aataskforce@yahoo.com for more information.
For more information, please contact us at ccfvinfo@yahoo.com