CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY FACT: 70% of animal abusers also have records of other crimes. By Sumayyah Meehan
We often hear about crimes against humanity on the news and in the media. Acts of violence, ethnic cleansing and unjust wars are just a few of the ways in which aggressors turn on the weaker members of society. There is no rhyme or reason to it. And despite the efforts of the global arena, there continue to be mass crimes against humanity being committed even today. One would think that the great advances humanity has made in medicine, science and technology would have a detrimental effect on such crimes. However, while our technological prowess has helped to uncover such crimes and shed light on their occurrences, the remedies to putting an end to such atrocities are as elusive as ever. The question that begs to be asked is, “What makes someone, anyone, feel that they are superior to another living being?” Without watering down the crimes that humans commit against one another, there are countless 70
heinous crimes some humans commit against nature. These types of crimes chip away at our humanity faster than a jackhammer. One of those is the crime of animal abuse. After living in Kuwait for well over a decade, I have seen several cases of animals being abused. Some times I have been able to intervene and other times I have been a tormented bystander unable to do anything at all. One of the places that animal abuse is most blatant is around the seaside parks and beaches. It’s no secret that the stray pet population is evident in these areas. Cats are often seen lounging on rocks overlooking the sea while kittens run in between pedestrians looking for a place to hide. And hide they should. It’s unfortunate that many misguided parents let their children turn these living creatures into mere playthings. On several occasions I have seen children grabbing kittens by their tails and sliding them hard across the ground. Other times I have seen children
throwing rocks or sand in the faces of innocent kittens. Most recently, I saw a young boy dump a full super-sized soda on top of a weeks-old kitten. It scampered away to somehow dry off in the cold winter night. Treating animals with respect and kindness is one of the first lessons a child should be taught when he is of the age to understand the differences between right and wrong. It is the ultimate shared responsibility of parents and educators to teach children, at an early age, to respect all living creatures. Thankfully, we also have organizations in Kuwait that do their utmost to preserve the sanctity of animal life in Kuwait. Thanks to organizations like PAWS and K’s Path, animals in Kuwait have a fighting chance to survive and find a loving home. For information on how to adopt a pet or make a donation to K’s Path or PAWS, please visit each of their sites respectively: www.kspath.org & www.PAWS-Kuwait.org.