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Election 2026: ACT vows to criminalize use of pets to control family violence victims
🇳🇿 New Zealand /Crime & Justice

Election 2026: ACT vows to criminalize use of pets to control family violence victims

From NZ Herald · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The ACT party in New Zealand has pledged to criminalize the use of pets as tools of coercion in domestic violence cases.
  • The party's spokeswoman for family and sexual violence announced that legislation will be introduced to close loopholes exploited by abusers.
  • The policy was announced at a facility for Pet Refuge, an organization that helps domestic violence victims rehome their pets.

New Zealand's ACT party has announced a policy to criminalize the use of pets as instruments of coercion and control in family violence situations. The party's spokeswoman for family and sexual violence, Karen Chhour, pledged that legislation would be introduced to close existing loopholes that abusers exploit.

The announcement was made at Pet Refuge's facility in Auckland, an organization dedicated to assisting victims of family violence by providing temporary shelter for their pets. This initiative aims to protect vulnerable individuals and their animal companions from further harm.

Chhour stated that the proposed legislation would specifically target abusers who use pets to manipulate, threaten, or control victims. By making such actions a criminal offense, the ACT party intends to provide stronger legal recourse for survivors of domestic abuse and deter perpetrators.

instruments of coercion and control in family violence

— Karen ChhourDescribing the proposed criminalization of using pets in domestic abuse scenarios.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NZ Herald in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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