A demonstration will be held Sunday to advocate for amendments to Taiwan’s Constitution to further secure the rights of animals, the Animal Protection Legislation Movement Alliance said Saturday.
The alliance said in a statement that the march, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 people, will urge the government to go beyond existing animal protection laws and fully enshrine animal rights in the Constitution.
The Legislative Yuan’s Constitutional Amendment Committee is currently considering proposals for constitutional amendments, and the alliance said it should recognize that animals have similar perceptual abilities to humans and that protecting them is a national obligation.
Taiwan became the 54th country in the world to write animal protection into law in 1998, and several laws have followed, including the Animal Industry Act, the Veterinary Drugs Control Act, and the Wildlife Conservation Act, the alliance said.
But they have proved inadequate in providing real protection to animals, according to the alliance.
Sunday’s event will start informally at around noon on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office, and officially begin at 1:30 p.m. with a press conference and reenactments of examples of animal cruelty performed by actors.
The march will then mobilize at 2 p.m. to arrive at the Legislative Yuan at 3 p.m. before returning to Ketagalan Boulevard, where various animal rights organizations will give speeches and lectures.
The alliance previously announced the march on Jan. 27 after seeing little movement on proposals for constitutional amendments on animal rights in the Legislature.
The alliance is a coalition of eight animal rights groups, while the Sunday march will also include more than 70 other groups supporting their ideas, including student clubs and private organizations.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel