The National Link Coalition is an informal, multidisciplinary, collaborative network of professionals in animal welfare and human services who focus on “The Link” – the areas where animal cruelty, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and elder abuse intersect. We explore new developments in research, public policy and programming with a goal of transforming social services through the collaboration of humane and human services agencies. We consider human welfare and animal welfare to be inextricably intertwined and the prevention of family and community violence to be a health concern that can be addressed most effectively through partnerships representing multi-species perspectives.
The purpose of the National Link Coalition is that the Link between violence against humans and violence against animals is widely known and understood. We believe that through the recognition and integration of this understanding into policies and practices nationwide, humans and animals will be measurably safer.
Unincorporated network of national and local nonprofit organizations, associations and interested individuals
United States, with partnerships with related organizations in the United Kingdom, Spain, The Netherlands, Canada, and elsewhere.
Headquarters in Stratford, NJ; Steering Committee members located across the U.S.
ASPCA
Extensive schedule of training lectures on the relationships between animal abuse, domestic violence, child maltreatment, and elder abuse, presented to the general public and targeted professional audiences, including: veterinarians; physicians and public health; prosecutors and judges; law enforcement; social work; child protection caseworkers; domestic violence officials; adult protective services.
Monthly webinar trainings for prosecutors in handling animal cruelty cases in conjunction with the ASPCA, National District Attorneys Association, and Animal Legal Defense Fund.
Biennial training conferences and organizational town meetings/summits
Monthly electronic bulletin, The LINK-Letter, distributed in 25 countries with readership of over 950
Campaigns to establish community-based anti-violence coalitions
Contact Person: Phil Arkow, Coordinator
37 Hillside Road, Stratford, NJ 08084
856-627-5118
Steering Committee members:
Lesley Ashworth
Consultant, The Link, Worthington, Ohio
Barbara W. Boat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Executive Director, Childhood Trust, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Maya Gupta, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Ahimsa House, Inc., Atlanta, Ga.
Jane A. Hunt
Violence Prevention Specialist, St Paul, Minn.
Mark Kumpf, CAWA
Past President, National Animal Control Association, Dayton, Ohio
Randall Lockwood, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Forensic Sciences and Anti-Cruelty Projects, ASPCA, Falls Church, Va.
Anna Melbin
Former Housing Director, National Network to End Domestic Violence Founder, Catalyst Consulting & Training, Yarmouth, Maine
Emilie Meyer, J.D.
Associate Attorney, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Reno, Nev.
Maria Luisa O’Neill
Program Services Coordinator, National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Denver, Colo.
Emily Patterson-Kane, Ph.D.
Animal Welfare Scientist, Animal Welfare, American Division,
American Veterinary Medical Association, Schaumburg, Ill.
Allie Phillips, J.D.
Director, National Center for Prosecution of Animal Abuse Deputy Director, National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse
National District Attorneys Association, Alexandria, Va.
Chris Risley-Curtiss, MSSW, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Animal-Human Interactions Coordinator
School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
Barbara Shaffer, MSW, LCSW
Senior Director of Chapter Services, Prevent Child Abuse America
Breckenridge, Colo.
Kathleen Schoen
Director, Family Violence Program, Colorado Bar Association
Colorado Alliance for Cruelty Prevention, Denver, Colo.
Hugh Tebault III
President, The Latham Foundation, Alameda, Calif.
Philip Tedeschi, MSSW, LCSW
Clinical Director, Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, Denver, Colo.
12. Additional Information
With 98% of Americans considering pets to be either close companions or family members, it is apparent that animal abuse can no longer be excused, trivialized, or marginalized as an outlier, but must be considered within the broader continuum of family violence. Research continually demonstrates that acts of animal abuse serve as sentinel indicators, and frequently as predictors, of family and community violence. We believe that a collaborative approach among human and humane services organizations, on the global, national and local levels, can be more effective in addressing and preventing family and community violence. Our trainings to veterinarians cite the One Health concept as a rationale for practitioners to recognize and respond to not only animal cruelty but domestic violence and child abuse as well. The National Link Coalition is educating public and professional audiences about these connections and the many public policy, programmatic and research programs that have been undertaken in recent years.
While the National Link Coalition is not involved with epidemiology, environmental health or infectious diseases, we are vitally interested in the perception of family and community violence as a public health concern potentially more resolvable via public health interventions than by traditional law enforcement or social services. We focus on what has been called “the dark side” of the human-animal bond: the broken bonds that emerge from negative interactions between the species and how these events frequently manifest in interpersonal violence.
