Victims Of Neglect Research Articles

Is the fact of having been victims of childhood emotional abuse and/or neglect found in the aggressors’ history?

Background: Early exposure to trauma and stressors can hinder development and accumulate stress over one's lifetime, leading to adverse long-term outcomes. Objective: This study aims to investigate whether individuals exhibiting aggressive behavior may have been victims of emotional abuse and/or neglect during childhood. These experiences profoundly impact development, persisting into adulthood. Four hypotheses were formulated to guide the investigation. Methods: The sample comprised 615 Portuguese adults aged 18 and above. Data collection utilized various instruments including a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Impulsive and Premeditated Aggression Scale, the Life History of Aggression Scale, the Childhood Adversity History Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, the Personality Inventory, and the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure. Results and Conclusions: The hypotheses were confirmed, indicating a positive correlation between childhood emotional abuse/neglect and adult aggressive behavior, emotional regulation challenges, elevated neuroticism, openness to experience, boldness, disinhibition, and meanness. Also, emotional regulation difficulties, personality traits, and psychopathy fully mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and impulsive/ premeditated aggression, as well as between a history of aggression and impulsive/ premeditated aggression.

PEARR tool training and implementation: building awareness of violence and human trafficking in a hospital system.

Health professionals have an opportunity to assist patients who are experiencing many types of violence, including human trafficking; however, current approaches are often not person-centered. The Provide privacy, Educate, Ask, Respect and Respond (PEARR) Tool, a recognized screening tool in the U.S., is a structured conversation guide for health professionals on how to provide trauma-sensitive assistance to patients who may be experiencing such violence, including human trafficking. This is the first study to evaluate the PEARR Tool and its use in hospital settings. A U.S.-based health system adopted the PEARR Tool as part of its Abuse, Neglect, and Violence policy and procedure. To support successful adoption, the health system also developed educational modules on human trafficking and trauma-informed approaches to patient care, including a module on the PEARR steps. In October 2020 and June 2021, a voluntary "PEARR Tool Training and Implementation Survey" was distributed to emergency department staff in three hospitals. The survey consisted of 22 questions: eight demographic and occupation related questions; five questions related to the education provided to staff; and, nine questions related to the use of the PEARR Tool in identifying and assisting patients. The overall findings demonstrate a general increase in awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking, as well as a significant increase in awareness about the implementation of the PEARR Tool. However, the findings demonstrate that most respondents were not utilizing the PEARR Tool between October 2020 and June 2021. Most reported that the reason for this was because they had not suspected any of their patients to be victims of abuse, neglect, or violence, including human trafficking. Of those that had utilized the PEARR Tool, there was a marked increase in staff that reported its usefulness and ease of access when caring for patients. The COVID-19 pandemic posed many challenges during this study, including delays in staff education, changes in education format and delivery, and strains on staff. Initial data regarding the use of the PEARR Tool is promising; and additional research is recommended.

Repositioning Legal Protection For Victims of Domestic Neglect In Indonesia: Between Legal Breakthroughs and Reality?

Repositioning Legal Protection For Victims of Domestic Neglect In Indonesia: Between Legal Breakthroughs and Reality?

Forensic characteristics of the victim in the investigation of malicious failure to fulfill duties of care for a child or a person for whom guardianship or care is established

The aim of the work is a forensic analysis of socio-demographic, psycho-physiological and criminal-legal characteristics of persons who have become victims of malicious failure to fulfill their duties to care for a child or a person for whom guardianship or guardianship has been established.
 The methodological basis of the study is the scientific works of forensic scientists who investigated the identity of the victim, the materials of the investigation of criminal proceedings of the specified category, the analysis of the questionnaires of the National Police employees who took a direct part in the investigation of the malicious failure to fulfill the duties of caring for a child or a person for whom guardianship has been established or care.
 It has been established that the growth of crime, which changes in accordance with socio- economic changes in the state, prompts the search for new forms and methods of crime investigation. One of these directions is the creation of a forensic classification of persons in such a way that, using information about their typical characteristics, it would be possible to solve the general tasks of detecting and investigating criminal offenses.
 It has been established that the increase in the number of specified crimes, which changes in accordance with socio-economic changes in the state, prompts the search for new forms and methods of crime investigation. One of these directions is the creation of a forensic classification of persons in such a way that, with the help of information about their typical features, it is possible to solve the tasks of crime detection and investigation.
 It is emphasized that criminal law features do not play a special role in characterizing a person who is a victim of malicious neglect of child care duties or a person for whom guardianship or guardianship has been established, since the vast majority of victims of crimes of the specified category are minors persons At the same time, the psychophysiological characteristics of the victims should not be ignored, since it is the psychological characteristics, the way of spending free time, etc. that determine the way the crime was committed, the situation and conditions, and are closely related to other elements of forensic characteristics.
 Conclusions. It has been established that there are many ways in which malicious failure to fulfill the duty of care of a child or a person in respect of whom guardianship or guardianship has been established can be committed. Instead, the way the crime was committed depends on a number of factors, including the level of education, intellectual development and other data about the victim. On the basis of the analysis of criminal proceedings, the most typical socio-demographic, psychophysiological and criminal-legal characteristics of the victim were established.

‘Pushing forward’: resilience of youth from alternative care in Croatia

ABSTRACT Children and youth living in alternative care represent a vulnerable group in need primarily because of the lack of parental care and placement in some form of alternative care. Before living in alternative care, they usually experience several risks, including living in economic hardship and poverty, being victims of abuse and neglect, facing parents’ or their mental health problems, and experiencing other stressful or traumatic experiences. Still, some youth show positive outcomes in the face of these adversities, demonstrating resilience. The aim of this research was to gain insight into the youth resilience factors promoting a successful transition to an independent life after living in alternative care in Croatia. The study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with eight young people who had experience living in alternative care and showed successful adaptation to an independent life. Thematic analysis resulted in the three themes of positive outcomes: the variety of experiences from care, life successes, and development of life perspective, and four resilience factors from the youth perspective: resources from the in-care life, self-concept, personal characteristics, and social support. The importance of developing youth empowerment programmes and better social support services for youth from alternative care is recommended.

Between Conservatism and Progressivism: The Young Penghulu in East Java's Legal Paradigm Addresses Disability Issues in Marriage

The legal knowledge of penghulu on disability issues determines how to implement laws that advocate for persons with disabilities. This paper traces the legal paradigm of seven Penghulus in East Java who were newly inducted in 2022 against several articles in the Compilation of Islamic Law (KHI) that touch on disability issues. Some of the themes tracked are marriage guardians (article 22), marriage witnesses (article 25), and polygamy (article 57). It is an empirical study using conceptual and philosophical approaches. This article finds that most young East Javanese penghulu still need an advocate interpretation paradigm because they read the articles authentically and grammatically, not sociologically or teleologically. The benefit (maslahah) aspect of these articles is also considered to look more authentic. Therefore, the argument of advocates for the rights of persons with a human rights perspective is not widely involved. As a result, persons with disabilities who are guardians of marriage, witnesses of marriage, and wives can become victims of neglect of fundamental civil rights in marriage. It is where the conservative paradigm of the young penghulu comes into being strong and dominant. The existence of the progressive paradigm is also buried and framed in the current conservative paradigm. This finding is certainly an important note about how the government indirectly shapes the contestation of conservative and progressive paradigms in family law.

PREVALENCE OF ELDER ABUSE AND NEGLECT OF PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Abstract People with dementia (PWD) are at high risk for abuse and neglect. Little is known about the synthesized prevalence rate of abuse among this population though. This study reviewed articles on abuse and neglect among PWD to learn about the pooled prevalence estimates of elder abuse among this population with a meta-analytic approach and examined the heterogeneity associated with the prevalence estimates through meta-regression and subgroup analyses. A total of 27 studies were selected from 479 relevant studies after careful identification using eight academic databases (e.g., ProQuest, CINAHL Plus). All 27 studies received acceptable scores on study quality and demonstrated no significant publication biases. All the studies included a total sample of 11,246 care recipient and caregiver dyads. In addition to overall abuse, three subtypes of elder abuse including physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect were examined. Results showed that the pooled prevalence of overall elder abuse was 41% (95%CI [0.31,0.49], p < 0.001). The pooled prevalence of abuse subtypes were 43%(95% CI [0.35, 0.52], p < .001) for emotional abuse, followed by neglect at 16%, and physical abuse at10% (95% CI [0.07, 0.13], p < 0.01). Overall, studies with caregiver average age below 60. reported higher abuse rates than those with caregivers’ age over 60. These results call for more policy and practice efforts to assist PWD who are victims of abuse and neglect, and more so, to prevent caregivers from exerting abuse and neglect behaviors toward PWD via education, skills training and support.

Dropping the Bond or Dropping the Act?

Throughout the United States, in 2020 and 2021, the Trump presidency and the covid-19 pandemic brought to light clashes in shared and lived realities among Americans and displayed them in jarring and perplexing scenarios—with a deadly toll. Strange martyrdoms and enacted oaths of loyalty to Trump in the form of people not getting vaccinated, not taking precautions, often attacking those who did, and throwing themselves away by (simply) dying are collective examples of what Jacques Lacan called the passage à l’acte and are symptoms of a profound decay of political culture. Radicalization of what Timothy Snyder has called “sadopopulism” and Chris Hedges has called “corporate totalitarianism” have led to a pervasive sense of impotence among large swaths of global populations who have been, and are being, abandoned and discarded, made victims of radical neglect, disappearance, and silencing—the covid martyrs a category among them.

Sprawa Mary Ellen Wilson i pierwsze amerykańskie organizacje na rzecz ochrony praw dziecka

The paper presents the mechanisms that led to the first American legal regulations and organizations for the protection of minors and the elimination of child abuse. The background for the considerations is the case that shocked the American public opinion in the second half of the 19th century. It concerned a 10-year-old girl, Mary Ellen Wilson, who was a victim of violence and neglect on the part of her guardians. The attempts to save the child showed that the American system of social welfare lacked adequate institutional and organizational instruments to protect a child who was a victim of violence and abuse.Based on the literature and available archival materials – official documents and press publications from the discussed period – the course of the trial was reconstructed, as well as the initiatives undertaken after its completion, which led to the establishment of the first American organization aimed to protect children. The summary presents the characteristics of the American movement for the protection of children against the background of European initiatives undertaken in this field.

Peran Mediator Dinas Pemberdayaan Perempuan Dan Perlindungan Anak Provinsi Sumatera Utara Dalam Penyelesaian Diskriminasi Dan Penelantaran Anak Akibat Perceraian Orangtua

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of mediators in resolving parental conflicts which result in children becoming victims of discrimination and neglect as a result of divorce. This type of research is normative juridical through the approach of statutory regulations, as well as legal principles. The nature of this research is analytical descriptive, namely describing the problems that occur next, discussed and analyzed. Sources of data obtained from secondary data through government publications / websites and data collection tools are carried out through documents or data from the Office of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of North Sumatra Province, the data analysis used is qualitative analysis. The role of the mediator is to prioritize the rights interests of the child over the interests of the parents. In the mediation process, the role of the mediator is as a formality for the parties to be able to proceed to the legal process in order to convict one of the parties. In addition, the mediator cannot force the parties to carry out or enforce the court's decision due to the parties' perception that the authority to execute court decisions including child custody lies in the court, and not in the Office of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of North Sumatra Province. The mediator's efforts provide education to the parties that mediation is a tool in law enforcement in the police.

Physical Neglect and Mental Violence Towards Children by Parents: An Analysis of Criminal Law

Physical neglect and mental violence are types of violence against children whose provisions are regulated in several articles in the Criminal Code and Law No. 35 of 2014 concerning Child Protection. In the articles that regulate acts of physical neglect and mental violence, it is necessary to explain specifically regarding the types of acts of violence concerned so that efforts to protect victims can be carried out optimally. However, there are several articles in the Criminal Code and in the Child Protection Law that experience blurred norms due to limited explanations regarding the types of acts of violence. This study aims to find out how the systematic protection and views of positive law and Islamic criminal law regarding acts of physical neglect and mental violence against children committed by both biological parents. The method used is to use a type of normative juridical research through statutory and conceptual approaches. The conclusions of this study are: 1) Acts of physical neglect in the Criminal Code are regulated in articles 305, 306 and 307 and in Law No. 35 of 2014 are regulated in article 76B. The prohibition on acts of mental violence is regulated in Article 1 paragraph (15a). Meanwhile, according to Islamic criminal law, the act of violence is punishable by ta'zir because it is not regulated by the text. 2) Protection for victims of physical neglect has been regulated in article 71 of the Law on Child Protection and for victims of mental violence has been explained in article 69 of the Law on Child Protection. Meanwhile, according to Islamic criminal law, the nature of child protection is to fulfill all children's rights and provide treatment and protection from all things that can harm children, including life, property and so on.

Strategi Dinas Sosial Dalam Penanganan Gelandangan Penderita Psikotik Di Lingkungan Pondok Sosial (Liponsos) Keputih Surabaya

The city of Surabaya is the center of the largest population of people with severe mental disorders (ODGJ) in East Java Province and continues to increase until 2020 to as many as 5519 people. ODGJ are one of the groups that are vulnerable to being neglected and become victims of neglect for various reasons such as social factors, economic factors, health factors, and others. The Surabaya City Government through the Surabaya City Social Service in this case has taken steps to deal with these problems, one of which is by building the Keputih Regional Environmental Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD Liponsos). The research method used is qualitative research and uses data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results and conclusions of this study indicate that: 1) Strategy formulation uses communication and coordination with stakeholders. 2) Strategy implementation is carried out in 4 ways: social rehabilitation, social empowerment, social protection, and social security. Furthermore, socialization was carried out in the workforce in terms of capacity building for knowledge transfer and also conducting rotations or tours of duty. 3) Strategy evaluation is carried out by monitoring in a structured and good manner by making a priority scale and coordinating with regional apparatus organizations (OPD).

The Burmese Refugee Exodus of 1942: Making a Case for the Refugee Archive and Inclusive Refugee Policies

The Burmese Refugee Exodus of 1942 was one of the worst forced migrations in South Asia. The capture of Burma by the Japanese during the Second World War forced the British to retreat and the occupants to flee as refugees to India. Despite its magnitude and impact, it remains largely understudied by both historians and scholars. The few records that exist are largely Eurocentric and reduce the Indian refugees to a nameless, faceless mass of travellers. Not only were the refugees victims of official apathy and neglect, they were also victims of historical amnesia. This essay makes a case for the refugee archive in the backdrop of the Burmese Exodus of 1942. Hannah Arendt’s concept of the refugee as human condition forms the theoretical framework of the essay. It draws on Arendt’s concept of “spaces of appearances” to conceptualize the refugee archive as alternative spaces of appearances that allow the refugee to be visible and be heard and seen in public. It then reads the Burmese refugee memoir Ayya’s Accounts: A Ledger of Modern Hope in India in the light of Arendt’s concepts of “refugee as vanguard”, “storytelling as political action” and “spaces of appearances” to illustrate how refugees through their narratives create a space of appearance for themselves, become agents of change and thus contribute to inclusive refugee policies. This essay argues for a comprehensive refugee archive that registers the refugee in history and has implications on inclusive policies.

Examining the Effects of Empowerment on Intellectually Disabled Females in Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia

Background: Females’ empowerment is prominent in ascertaining economic growth and development. Concerning intellectually disabled females, the impotent charges are because they often face discrimination in education, the workplace, and society and become victims of abuse, neglect, and sexual violence. However, despite being a crucial topic of social interest, the studies in this specific field are limited, especially in Saudi Arabia.
 Aim of the Study: The present research has examined the effects of empowerment on intellectually disabled females in Saudi Arabia.
 Method: The research employed semi-structured interviews with 18 respondents, including four education workers, social development workers, and intellectually disabled females. The interview responses have been further analysed and evaluated with the help of thematic analyses.
 Results and Conclusion: The findings suggest an increased need to empower females in Saudi for poverty reduction, increased literacy rates, ensure educated and socially responsible citizens, happier families, and a violence-free society. Intellectually disabled females are often neglected, abandoned, and sexually ally harassed. Hence, it is essential to empower such females to protect themselves from discrimination and exercise human rights, laws, and policies equally. The results indicate that empowering intellectually disabled females positively affects society by decreasing violence, addressing poverty, and building a healthier, socially responsible, and educated future. Hence, the Saudi government should make disability inclusion for organisations a priority.

Associations Between State TANF Policies, Child Protective Services Involvement, And Foster Care Placement.

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which was established in 1996 and renewed in 2005, constituted a major reform of the US welfare system. Since its renewal, few studies have examined its effects on children. We used instrumental variables, two-way fixed effects, and event studies to examine the associations between state-level TANF policies, Child Protective Services involvement, and foster care placement during the period 2004-16. We found that each additional TANF policy that restricted access to benefits was associated with a 13percent reduction in TANF caseloads. Using TANF policies as an instrument, we found that increases in TANF caseloads were associated with significant reductions in numbers of neglect victims and foster care placements. In two-way fixed effects models, restrictions on TANF access were associated with more than forty-four additional neglect victims per 100,000 child population and between nineteen and twenty-two additional children per 100,000 placed in foster care. Our findings suggest that additional research using data that capture the nuances of maltreatment should be used to investigate the relationships among TANF policies, child maltreatment, and foster care placement.

Violences subies, violences agies : la place de l’expression somatique du repérage à l’expertise

Being a victim of violence and neglect during childhood can expose minors to significant health repercussions on the physical, psychological, psycho-affective and neuro-developmental levels.. Self- and hetero-aggressive violences in all age groups are now considered to be possible consequences of these severe adverse experiences.The place of the body is essential in this context. The body, often considered as the only tangible and opposable marker of violence, has a singular and integral place in the psyche and overall health.It is an important vector in order for professionals to have access to the child. The examination of the body allows the expression of violence and its formulation from a very young age, especially during clinical examinations in situations of possible danger. It also “speaks” in situations of malaise, growth disorder, self or heteroaggressive acts. During the adolescence, it can also be attacked by scarification, dietary restrictions, mutilations, early and risky sexual activity, prostitution..By taking jointly both the body and the psyche, children and adolescents find a unity, are no longer fragmented. It is this unity that will allow the continuation of more specific care and more specifically child psychiatric support.This joint concern of paediatricians, general practitioners, child psychiatrists and psychologists will also ensure, particularly during adolescence, the continuation of health monitoring.It is essential to think about these collaborations from the first meeting with children and adolescents who are victims or perpetrators of violence.Encountering child and adolescent victims of violence confronts practitioners with a reality that is difficult to see and to conceive. Although the continuum between suffered violence and perpetrated violence seems to be better known today, these different situations remain difficult to understand and to manage. We believe that the violence that is perpetrated can be a screen for the causes of the violence and for the response to the needs of minors, particularly in terms of health.For practitioners, going to meet children and adolescents who are perpetrators of violence entails to be able to take a “step aside” from the classical representations of aggression or aggressiveness, whether they are directed towards third parties or towards the minor himself. Access to the somatic examination and medical history of these children or adolescents must be fully integrated from the first meeting. Associating health in all its aspects (somatic, psychic and social) then allows for specific care to be provided, regardless of their nature and place. This initial integrated practice allows us to take care of children and adolescents and highlights the notion of otherness that is undermined in situations of violence or neglect, particularly when they occur in the family environment. This initial joint somatic and psychological care in a single unit enables re-establishment of a dialogue with the minors and their parents. The shared competencies and the links that unite these different professionals together constitutes already therapeutic care.By reintroducing a dialogue about the children and adolescents and their overall health, the response to their needs can be perceived as a common and reachable objective that inscribes the minor in the temporality and extracts him or her from the immediacy of a punctually repressed act.

Mineurs en garde à vue: caractéristiques sociodémographiques, auto-évaluation de la santé et identification de facteurs de vulnérabilité

Minor offenders are at risk for medico-psycho-social vulnerability, that impacts global health, schooling, professional future, and socio-familial environment; moreover, minors who are victims of violence and neglect are at greater risk of becoming offenders and minor offenders are at greater risk of suffering violence. Few data are currently available regarding global health and vulnerability factors for minors (i.e. those aged under 18) who have been placed in police custody. This study aimed to describe the judicial and social characteristics of these minors, their medical and psychological health status, with the hypothesis that most minors placed in police custody can be considered as abused or neglected, by presenting factors of vulnerability. We carried out a prospective study, including consecutive minors aged of 13 to 18 years old, who had been detained in custody at the Central Police Station of Nantes (France), from October 2012 to May 2013. The sociodemographic characteristics, scores for global health and the data collected from the welfare and judiciary services were analyzed, to identify abused or neglected minors. Ninety-nine teenagers were included: 78 males and 11 females (mean age±standard deviation: 16.5 years±1.01), who had been placed in custody for robbery, with a remarkable proportion of recidivist minors. Our study has highlighted several worrying characteristics of minors in police custody reflecting their vulnerability, as living conditions (no schooling, no fixed address) and irregular or absent medical follow-up; however their scores for global health were not different from the general population. While 49 minors (49.5 %) had already been identified by the welfare services, our study find that 35 added minors of this population should nonetheless be considered as being abused and/or neglected, based on a very high rate of minors already followed by child protection services and/or already penalized. Systematic health screening in custody could help to detect abused and/or neglected minors, in order to provide them access to appropriate medical and social cares. They could be referring to psychiatric or rehabilitation cares, and to the relevant welfare and judiciary services in order to assess if a specific protection measure is needed.

Elder abuse and hospitalization in rural Malaysia.

Our study aims to describe and determine factors associated with hospitalization among victims of elder abuse and neglect (EAN) in rural Malaysia. A cross sectional study based on the baseline data of the Malaysian Elder Mistreatment Project (MAESTRO) collected from November 2013 until July 2014 involving 1927 older adults in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan was conducted. EAN was determined using the modified Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) and hospitalization rates were determined based on self-report. The prevalence of overall EAN was 8.1% (95%CI 6.9–9.3). Among male respondents, 9.5% revealed history of abuse and among female respondents, 7.2% reported experiencing EAN. The annual hospitalization rates per 100 persons within the past one year among EAN victims and non-victims were 18 per 100 persons (SD = 46.1) and 15 per 100 persons (SD = 64.1) respectively. Among respondents with history of EAN, 16.0% (n = 21) had been hospitalized in the past 12 months while among respondents with no EAN experience, 10.2% (n = 153) were hospitalized. Multivariable analyses using Poisson regression did not show any significant association between EAN and hospitalization. This could be due to the complex interactions between medical and social circumstances that play a role in hospital admissions, factors affecting the health care system, and access to health care among EAN victims.

Child neglect in Saudi Arabia: The neglected form of child maltreatment.

Objectives:To shed light on types, family profiles, risk factors, and outcomes of child neglect in Saudi Arabia.Methods:A retrospective chart review was carried out at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Cases of child neglect diagnosed by the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) team were reviewed. Data were extracted from patients’ electronic charts and SCAN team records.Results:A total of 309 cases of child neglect were diagnosed between 2015-2019. Mean age of victims was 4.4±4.1 years, and 51.8% were male gender.Supervisory neglect was the most common form (63.1%), followed by medical neglect (39.2%), emotional neglect (6.8%), physical neglect (5.5%), and educational neglect (3.2%). Children between the ages of one and 3 years were 3.3 times more likely to be victims of supervisory neglect and girls were 4.5 times more likely to be victims of educational neglect. Children living with ≥4 siblings were 7 times more likely to be victims of physical neglect and 1.9 times of medical neglect. With regard to emotional neglect, children of unemployed fathers were 3.5 times more likely to be parentally neglected than children of employed fathers. Worsening of the underlying disease (30%) and internal injuries (23.5%) were the most common consequences of neglect. Mortality attributed to neglect was documented in 8 (2.6%) children.Conclusion:Although child neglect is common in Saudi Arabia, it has not been recognized as an important cause of morbidity and mortality of children. This implies the need for a national protocol that would help identify high-risk families for early detection and implementation of prevention programs.

Animal Welfare Underenforcement as a Rule of Law Problem.

Simple SummaryAnimal welfare legislation is routinely underenforced by the state. This underenforcement has obvious and direct implications for the animal victims of cruelty and neglect. This article proposes that there are also less obvious constitutional implications of such underenforcement: it undermines the rule of law. This article constructs this argument from a review of rule of law literature and investigates the implications of underenforcement being a constitutional problem.Many have decried the state’s underenforcement of animal welfare legislation because of the direct negative effects on animal interests. This article will advance the argument that such underenforcement has a much deeper societal effect because it undermines the rule of law. It does so by first, reviewing rule of law literature to advance the proposition that the state has a general obligation to enforce the law and, specifically, animal welfare legislation. It then looks to the practical issues that arise with the argument, specifically prosecutorial discretion and private prosecutions. Finally, it concludes that the state’s underenforcement of animal welfare legislation does indeed run contrary to the rule of law, and thus regardless of whether we have the interests of animals at the front of our minds, it is a matter that should concern us all.