Animal rights advocates and legislators yesterday braved the rain and cold in Taipei to march for the inclusion of animal rights in the Constitution.
Nearly 100 people — some with pets in tow — attended the march, which set out from the Presidential Office Building for the Legislative Yuan at about 2pm.
Organized by the Animal Protection Legislation Movement Alliance, a coalition of eight animal rights groups, the demonstration was held to urge the government to draft an amendment enshrining legal protections for animals into the Constitution.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Taiwan People’s Party Secretary-General Hsieh Li-kung (謝立功) praised the attendees for braving the cold, showing the force of will that would propel the movement forward.
Animals are not objects, but should be loved and cared for like children, Hsieh said, adding that treating animals well is indicative of a progressive nation.
Taiwan’s laws are severely outdated, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sandy Yeh (葉毓蘭) told the gathering.
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
There are more than 250,000 cases of animal cruelty every year, but only the Animal Protection Division of the Council of Agriculture’s Department of Animal Husbandry is equipped to respond, she said.
Dogs, cats and other animals are all important members of the family, she said, adding that it is important to enact laws protecting them and requiring their owners to take responsibility for them.
People are animals, just like dogs and cats, New Power Party (NPP) Chairperson Chen Jiau-hua (陳椒華) said.
Animal protections are a universal right and enshrining it in the Constitution would foster this sentiment, she added.
About a week before the rally, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Standing Committee that she supports the advocates’ position, DPP Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) said.
The committee agreed, saying that the most immediate task would be amending the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) to make repeat animal abusers criminally liable and treat animals as living beings instead of property, Hsu said.
The party has also proposed a special civil law and a special criminal law dealing with animal protections, as it would be faster than amending the Constitution, she added.
Italy on Feb. 9 became the 10th country to guarantee animals full rights under its constitution, Taiwan Animal Protection Monitor Network secretary-general Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳) said.
The network plans to make its case to the KMT caucus tomorrow at 10am, then to the TPP caucus on Wednesday at 4:30pm, Ho said.
Meetings have not yet been scheduled with the DPP or the NPP, he added.
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