Voices for Animals – A series of interviews with those who speak out loud and clear for all who are born nonhuman
Malcolm Plant is founder and director of the European Link Coalition and the World Link Coalition.
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Malcolm and his team’s ground-breaking research at Teesside University led to an historic ‘first’ whereby the United Nations now includes animal welfare in the Child Rights domain.
Animal Voice:
Malcolm, what you have achieved has literally revolutionized the world. GC26 has elevated Animal Rights into the Human Rights domain, and as such, initiates one of the biggest steps in history for child and animal protection.
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Malcolm Plant:
It is a new awakening which recognizes the scientific fact that a child has an innate and natural compassion and empathy for the animal world, and that it is conditioning that teaches them about divisions, prejudices, abuse, violence and cruelty.
If we dare to imagine a world where the natural empathy of the child is retained into adulthood, then compassion for all other living beings is not eroded by the greed and politics of broken humanity. In this way, children are our leaders into a new tomorrow.​
Animal Voice:
Please tell us more about your research at Teesside University.
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Malcolm Plant:
Our research at Teesside University focused on Eastern Europe. We found, for example, that a staggering 86.3 percent of teenagers in Romania, thought it was ‘normal’ to see homeless animals being abused or killed.
On completion of our research we took our findings to the UN and, as you know, the Committee on the Rights of the Child took them very seriously.
Animal Voice:
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has also identified the negative impact of ex- posing children to bull-fighting, trophy hunting, and a host of other atrocities against animals to which children are exposed.
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Malcolm Plant:
Yes, as explained earlier, this can impact on a child’s affective empathy and introduce a nor- malisation of violence. The World Link Coalition is fighting tooth and nail against atrocities like these, as much for the sake of the child as for the animal.
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Animal Voice:
UNICEF in South Africa has its own website devoted to violence against children. The role of animal welfare in the Rights of the Child needs to be included.
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Malcolm Plant:
Very much so. The psychological harm to children that we are talking about, is at a fundamental level of child development and is potentially irreversible. The UN has quite literally elevated animal well-being into the human rights domain for the first time in history, placing an obligation on every member nation to bring an end to violence in all its manifestations.
UNICEF is mandated to support the ‘legally binding’ UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. We need to elevate awareness of The Link to a national and cultural concern everywhere.
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Animal Voice:
Thank you for your steadfast and ground-breaking work towards a better world.
