A few days ago, Lieyu Zhu, a National Representative of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and director of a legal firm in Guangdong, has proposed to the NPC and National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) a bill that makes animal abuse illegal.
Cases of animal abuse abounded in recent years. In January 2017, A pet shop owner in Yunnan Province, for instance, cruelly deskinned a cat after a buyer returned the cat to the store. In the following month, two middle students in Sichuan Province threw down a puppy from a two-meter-high stair and stuffed firecrackers into the mouth of the already half-dead puppy, in addition to beating it with wooden sticks.
What has been done about these brutal, inhumane abuses? Sadly, although public opinion condemns these actions, these criminals remain untouched by China’s laws.
But why should we punish animal abusers?
Zhu asserts that violence towards animals harms the morale of the society and public utility. Some severe cases of abuse even threaten the lives and property of other citizens.
In the example of the dog meat business, in various regions, dog stealing has become rampant and highly systematized. Many gangs use poisonous arrows and guns to rob villagers of their dogs, often damaging the properties of villagers, as well as injuring them when the weapons have missed their targets.
To stop such frequent incidences of violence, Zhu thinks animal abuse should be punishable by law. Moreover, he recognizes psychological similarities between animal and human abusers. National research also supports his idea, indicating a higher likelihood of animal abusers to commit violent crimes to humans. Therefore, behaviors of animal abuse have also exacerbated violence towards humans.
Although China has already strengthened and implemented measures to combat violence such as laws against domestic violence, it still hasn’t enacted any laws against animal abuse. The existence of anti-animal abuse legislation, emphasizes Zhu, is crucial to the overall order and well-being of the Chinese society.
In fact, what to do about animal abuse is a hotly discussed topic around the globe, and more than 100 countries have already established related legislation. China, the leader in so many other areas, should also take action and not lag behind.
Info and photo obtained from JCRB.com
To read the original Chinese article, please click here: http://news.jcrb.com/jszx/201802/t20180226_1844108.html?from=groupmessage&isappinstalled=0
Written by Riley Peng @ Animal Dialogue
