Protect kids from animal abuse shows

It is not a natural instinct of bulls, chickens or dogs to engage in life-threatening fights against each other. They do not choose to fight. They are made to. By humans.

All this pain is for the amusement of spectators or the financial gain of the organisers. Animals are used as tools for profit, a form of abuse that is largely condemned by public opinion. For example, polls show that 72% of Spaniards have “no interest at all” in bullfighting.

Animal fighting often results in severe physical and psychological harm to the animals involved. They are subjected to intense pain, injury, and death.

Witnessing the violence and brutality of animal fighting can be traumatising and disturbing, especially for children who are particularly vulnerable. These events normalise violence and erode the ability of children to feel empathy. It shapes their attitudes and behaviour toward all living beings as they grow older.

In 2018, the UN Committee on the Rights of Children urged the Spanish Government to ban the participation of minors under 18 years of age in bullfights as bullfighters or spectators.

Still, Spain and other European countries allow animal fighting, letting adults bring kids to witness them. We need to stop this.

We demand an urgent prohibition on minors attending animal abuse shows in Europe and move towards banning animal fighting in all forms.