A joyful child hugging two happy dogs @ Pexels | Helena Lopes

Humane values aren’t inherited; they’re nurtured... and not all guidance on raising children fosters kindness, empathy, and compassion. 

Teaching children empathy and compassion early in life can help build a caring society today and in the future, as they will exhibit high standards of moral and ethical character towards people and animals.

It would also help to either prevent or at least reduce violence, while building a sense of empowerment and responsibility among people toward animals and society in general.

Empathy/Compassion

When we teach children to be kind to animals, we are paving the way to a more civilized nation for the benefit of all living beings through a new generation of adults who learned, during their childhood, to treat animals with empathy, compassion, and respect, thus eliminating/minimizing the instances of animal abuse and animal cruelty. 

Violence begets more violence

For many years now, there has been an increasing recognition of the link between animal cruelty and violence against humans. For instance, it’s often the case that children who commit animal cruelty have witnessed or been victims of abuse themselves.

In roughly one-third of families suffering from domestic abuse, at least one child has hurt or killed an animal, according to two studies cited by the Humane World for Animals, formerly Humane Society of the United States. Those who start off abusing animals often also end up abusing people later in their lives.

According to another study performed by the American Humane Society, formerly American Humane Association, people who deliberately abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against other people, four times more likely to commit property crimes, and three times more likely to have a record for drug abuse or disorderly conduct than those who don’t.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) also uses reports of animal cruelty to assess the potential threat posed by suspected and known violent criminals.

But what if people don’t like animals?

We can all acknowledge the fact that not everyone likes animals, just as they may not like every human. However, the least they can do is not be abusive or cruel to those animals, just as they would not be cruel to those they dislike.

“The question is not, can they reason? Nor can they talk? But, can they suffer?”

JEREMY BENTHAM, PHILOSOPHER

We need to understand that whatever our personal emotional feelings or mental thoughts are towards a certain species, whether human or nonhuman, they are still sentient beings who can experience emotions, pain, and suffering.

Thus, they all deserve respect, fairness, and humane treatment, while justice is served when and where abuse, cruelty, or injustice takes place, just as we would want the same for ourselves.


We must work towards securing better processes for the treatment of animals in terms of their welfare, protection, and basic rights by looking at the bigger picture and understanding that working things out on a larger scale to help them will also help us in our own welfare, protection, and human rights.

Education in Humane Values

One solution to end, or at least minimize, this unnecessary violence among us is through education in humane values.

By reaching out to children early in their lives and focusing on instilling respect, empathy, and compassion towards animals, we can aim to stop/reduce potential abusers before they become one, which will prove to be a better approach to addressing this horrifying human behavior.

In light of that, it is crucial that we introduce education in humane values in our homes and schools. The lessons they learn will last a lifetime and benefit both the animal kingdom and humankind as a whole.