Animal abuse ‘linked’ to harmful effects on children
Recommendations made by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Many years of research have shown that children can be seriously affected by
witnessing violent animal abuse. Effects include a progressive erosion of empathy & a normalization of violence which has been shown to potentially develop into causing violence against people & property.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has acknowledged these effects & has made recommendations that children should not be exposed to violent animal abuse.
The Committee has called on seven nations to prevent children from attending or
participating in bullfighting.Also the Committee has called for an ‘elimination of
societal violence against animals’ when addressing violent homeless animal
management programs
Animal Abuse Is Referenced in a Human Rights Charter of the United Nations for the First Time
‘Children must be protected from all forms of physical and psychological violence and from exposure to violence, such as domestic violence or violence inflicted on animals’- UN General Comment 26 was launched on September 18 2023 by United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, providing definitive guidance and clarity on how 196 nations must change policies, practices & laws to achieve compliance with the 'legally binding' UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Children have a natural empathy with other sentient
beings. Experiencing violence can erode this empathy
& replace it with a normalization of violence
Click on this image to enter the world of children with animals
Implicit in these recommendations to different nations is that children are affected by
all forms of violent animal abuse because of a child’s empathetic connection with
another sentient being…independent of species. Although animal abuse takes place in
many nations, in diverse cultures & societies, there is one commonality…its effects on
children… globally.
Here are the 'legally binding' Concluding Observations made by the UN Committee :-
The Committee recommends that the State party set the minimum age for participation
in and assisting at bullfighting and bull-running events, including in bullfighting schools,
at 18 years, without exception, and raise awareness among State officials, the media
and the general population about the negative effects on children, including as
spectators, of the violence associated with bullfighting and bull-running.
CRC/C/PRT/CO/5-6 Portugal
The physical and mental well-being of children involved in training for bullfighting, and
performances associated with it, as well as the mental and emotional well-being of
child spectators who are exposed to the violence of bullfighting; CRC/C/COL/CO/4-5
Columbia
The physical and mental well-being of children involved in training for bullfighting, and
performances associated with it, as well as the mental and emotional wellbeing of child
spectators who are exposed to the violence of bullfighting.CRC/MEX/CO/C/4-5 Mexico
Prohibit the participation of children in bullfighting training and associated
performances as a worst form of child labour, ensure the protection of child spectators
and raise awareness of the physical and mental violence associated with bullfighting
and its impact on children. CRC/C/PER/CO/4-5 Peru
Increase efforts to change violent traditions and practices that negatively affect the
well-being of children, including by prohibiting children’s access to bullfighting and
associated performances. CRC/C/FRA/CO/5 France
The Committee recommends that the age limit for watching and participating in
bullfighting be raised from 16 to 18 years and made statutory.
CRC/C/ECU/CO/5-6 Ecuador
In order to prevent the harmful effects of bullfighting on children, the Committee
recommends that the State party prohibit the participation of children under 18 years
of age as bullfighters and as spectators in bullfighting events.
CRC/C/ESP/CO/5-6 Spain
Recalling its General Comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or
her best interests taken as a primary consideration and its previous recommendations,
the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Ensure that the principle of the
best interests of the child is consistently applied in all administrative and judicial
proceedings, as well as in policies, programmes and projects that are relevant to, and
have an impact on, children; (b) Finalize the procedure, with a clear set of criteria, to
provide guidance to all relevant persons in authority for determining the best interests
of the child in every area and for giving it due weight as a primary consideration; (c)
Evaluate and eliminate, on the basis of the procedure and criteria described above,
practices, policies and services that may not be in the best interests of the child,
including those relating to societal violence against animals. CRC/C/TUN/CO/4-6
Tunisia
Eliminate violent traditions and practices, such as shooting dogs in public, and raise awareness among State officials, the media and the public about the negative effects on children of the exposure to such practices CRC/C/AZE/CO/5-6 Azerbaijan
Implicit in these expressions of concern, is the recognition by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, that children can be 'harmfully affected' by experiencing violence against sentient animals, with an obligation on States Parties to ensure compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by protecting children from all forms of violence, including against animals.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child General Comment 13 ‘The Right of the Child to Freedom from all forms of Violence’ provides this opportunity.
A UN General Comment gives global guidance & clarification of articles in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
https://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/docs/CRC.C.GC.13_en.pdf
Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states the following:
“1. States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.
UN General Comment 13 states :
Legal analysis of article 19, paragraph 1
1. “… all forms of ...” No exceptions. The Committee has consistently maintained the position that all forms of violence against children, however light, are unacceptable. “All forms of physical or mental violence” does not leave room for any level of legalized violence against children. Frequency, severity of harm and intent to harm are not prerequisites for the definitions of violence. States parties may refer to such factors in intervention strategies in order to allow proportional responses in the best interests of the child, but definitions must in no way erode the child’s absolute right to human dignity and physical and psychological integrity by describing some forms of violence as legally and/or socially acceptable.
3. “shall take …” 37. “Shall take” is a term which leaves no leeway for the discretion of States parties. Accordingly, States parties are under strict obligation to undertake “all appropriate measures” to fully implement this right for all children
Implicit in UNCRC recommendations about children harmfully affected by exposure to violence against different species of animals, is recognition of a child's empathetic connection with the sentience of an animal. This places 'societal violence against animals' within UN General Comment 13 which provides guidance :-
Exposure to 'all forms of violence' with 'no exceptions' and 'States Parties are under strict obligation to undertake all apropriate measures to fully implement this right for all children'
We will also call upon UNICEF, UNSDP & child protection organisations to heed the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to support programs which bring a cessation of
violence against animals.
We invite inclusion of such violence against animals to be included in Goal 15 of the UN 2030 Agenda 70/1 for Sustainable Development where it was agreed by all UN
Members that ‘we envisage a world where humanity lives in harmony with nature and where wildlife & other living species are protected’.
Protect the Animal to Save the Child
Protect the Child to Save the Animal !
