Mahatma Gandhi once said, “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable”. While animals are rarely considered a part of a human society, they should be, and with the advancement of humankind, animals have become increasingly vulnerable due to both the needs of development and seemingly boundless human cruelty. Yesterday (11), Sri Lanka took a great leap forward in attaining a level of Gandhian social development when the Government announced that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Animal Welfare Bill to be gazetted and presented in the Parliament. This was after the clearance of the Attorney General (AG) was received for the Bill drafted by the Legal Draftsman, as per a Cabinet decision taken by the Cabinet in 2020 to complete the drafting process of the Bill.
This Bill is essentially expected to replace the archaic Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907, which imposes extremely light penalties such as Rs. 100 or Rs. 200 fines and is therefore inadequate to take proper legal action against animal abusers.
This Bill – the drafting process of the Bill, to be precise – was one of the most discussed topics in Sri Lanka in the larger discussion on animal welfare and animal cruelty, due to the sole reason that it took over a decade to actually reach the level it has reached today. During this long drawn out process, of which at least four Governments were a part of, there were a large number of occasions where animal rights activists demanded that the drafting and passing of the Bill be expedited due to the lack of laws available to impose strict punishments. However, those demands and explanations seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
One of the reasons for this delay, according to political commentators, could be the lack of political will to see animal welfare as a pressing need of national importance, despite Sri Lanka being a country that is heavily nurtured by Buddhism. However, we can see that a lack of will is prevalent among the people as well, mainly due to the people’s idea of animal welfare being limited in so many ways.
The idea of animal welfare in the larger society is largely confined to the welfare of wild animals, and aside from animal rights activists and environmentalists, only a few discuss the welfare of all animals, including domestic animals. Therefore, with the passing of the Bill in the Parliament – which we can only hope will take place without a delay of another decade – there needs to be some kind of awareness raising and a social discourse with a focus on amalgamating the animal rights activism and legal protection this Bill provides for animals.
In this context, the people need to start discussing what constitutes animal abuse, so that abuses against animals they did not think were serious thus far will not be disregarded henceforth. The truth is, what a law alone can do is extremely limited, especially when it comes to incidents like animal abuses that largely take place in homes or other such settings, and therefore goes unnoticed by animal rights activists and unreported to law enforcement agencies. The people’s involvement and contribution can support the proper enforcement of this law, if they were aware of what they can do. Now that a new law is scheduled to come into effect soon, the people can play a much bigger role in protecting animals, and even a neighbour or a bystanders could take the initiative to report animal abuses they witness in their day-to-day lives.
Most importantly, the authorities have to ensure that the passing of the Bill does not take the time the drafting of the Bill took, and ensure that they do not leave the rest of the work for the next Government. Once passed, the necessary amendments can be made; but, first, this Bill has to become a law.
For example, legal provisions to address animal abuse taking place in the breeding industry, which is becoming increasingly popular in the country due to its commercial aspects with no regard to the welfare of animals, will be necessary, and after the passing of the Bill, the authorities should pay attention to such matters that require more specific attention.
At the same time, we should not be confined to the legal situation pertaining to animal abuse, and we cannot forget the moral responsibility we have to not be part of or tolerate animal abuse. Sri Lanka’s culture and traditions are predominantly nurtured by various religious teachings, and therefore, as Sri Lankans, all that is required is reconnecting with the universal teachings of compassion and kindness for all beings, not just humans. The long road to animal welfare
12 Jan 2022
The long road to animal welfare
12 Jan 2022
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable”. While animals are rarely considered a part of a human society, they should be, and with the advancement of humankind, animals have become increasingly vulnerable due to both the needs of development and seemingly boundless human cruelty. Yesterday (11), Sri Lanka took a great leap forward in attaining a level of Gandhian social development when the Government announced that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the Animal Welfare Bill to be gazetted and presented in the Parliament. This was after the clearance of the Attorney General (AG) was received for the Bill drafted by the Legal Draftsman, as per a Cabinet decision taken by the Cabinet in 2020 to complete the drafting process of the Bill.
This Bill is essentially expected to replace the archaic Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907, which imposes extremely light penalties such as Rs. 100 or Rs. 200 fines and is therefore inadequate to take proper legal action against animal abusers.
This Bill – the drafting process of the Bill, to be precise – was one of the most discussed topics in Sri Lanka in the larger discussion on animal welfare and animal cruelty, due to the sole reason that it took over a decade to actually reach the level it has reached today. During this long drawn out process, of which at least four Governments were a part of, there were a large number of occasions where animal rights activists demanded that the drafting and passing of the Bill be expedited due to the lack of laws available to impose strict punishments. However, those demands and explanations seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
One of the reasons for this delay, according to political commentators, could be the lack of political will to see animal welfare as a pressing need of national importance, despite Sri Lanka being a country that is heavily nurtured by Buddhism. However, we can see that a lack of will is prevalent among the people as well, mainly due to the people’s idea of animal welfare being limited in so many ways.
The idea of animal welfare in the larger society is largely confined to the welfare of wild animals, and aside from animal rights activists and environmentalists, only a few discuss the welfare of all animals, including domestic animals. Therefore, with the passing of the Bill in the Parliament – which we can only hope will take place without a delay of another decade – there needs to be some kind of awareness raising and a social discourse with a focus on amalgamating the animal rights activism and legal protection this Bill provides for animals.
In this context, the people need to start discussing what constitutes animal abuse, so that abuses against animals they did not think were serious thus far will not be disregarded henceforth. The truth is, what a law alone can do is extremely limited, especially when it comes to incidents like animal abuses that largely take place in homes or other such settings, and therefore goes unnoticed by animal rights activists and unreported to law enforcement agencies. The people’s involvement and contribution can support the proper enforcement of this law, if they were aware of what they can do. Now that a new law is scheduled to come into effect soon, the people can play a much bigger role in protecting animals, and even a neighbour or a bystanders could take the initiative to report animal abuses they witness in their day-to-day lives.
Most importantly, the authorities have to ensure that the passing of the Bill does not take the time the drafting of the Bill took, and ensure that they do not leave the rest of the work for the next Government. Once passed, the necessary amendments can be made; but, first, this Bill has to become a law.
For example, legal provisions to address animal abuse taking place in the breeding industry, which is becoming increasingly popular in the country due to its commercial aspects with no regard to the welfare of animals, will be necessary, and after the passing of the Bill, the authorities should pay attention to such matters that require more specific attention.
At the same time, we should not be confined to the legal situation pertaining to animal abuse, and we cannot forget the moral responsibility we have to not be part of or tolerate animal abuse. Sri Lanka’s culture and traditions are predominantly nurtured by various religious teachings, and therefore, as Sri Lankans, all that is required is reconnecting with the universal teachings of compassion and kindness for all beings, not just humans. Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!