International Animal Rights Day

The rights of our furry friends are celebrated annually on International Animal Rights Day on the 10th December.

The holiday is shared with Human Rights Day, as it should be, because animals have the right to be treated with respect, and acts of cruelty against them need to end just as much as for humans.

On  the 10th December, 1948 the UN General Assembly adopted and declared the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to prevent the repetition of World War II and concentration camps. But some years ago activists demanded expansion of the Declaration, stating that animals also have rights not to suffer pain and die because of human activity. At that time the term of speciesism was coined in order to talk about discrimination of the sentient beings due to the species they belong to. Animals can't protect themselves from people, who think that they are superior just because they were born like this. Observance of International Animal Rights Day draws public attention to the issues of speciesism and discrimination. Annually numerous campaigns are organized on the 10th December in order to recognise animal rights, stop deliberate cruelty and killing animals.

HOW TO CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RIGHTS DAY

1. Write an article or blog. If you want to go beyond local campaigning and digital awareness, write an article on animal rights for your local newspaper.

2. Teach them young If you have young children in your family, teach them to always be kind to animals. With the depiction of violence and viral videos on the rise in mainstream media, it is a good idea to teach youngsters to never take the subject of animal abuse lightly.

3. Switch to a cruelty-free lifestyle This is probably something that cannot be done overnight, but you can start small by boycotting companies that continue to conduct testing on animals. It’s a small step, but it will have a big effect in the long run, for sure!