Colombia: Law against animal abuse approved in the House of Representatives, Green Party hails a great step towards animal protection

The Animal Protection Bill presented by Ms. Andrea Padilla, Senator on the list of the Partido Alianza Verde, has been approved in the House of Representatives. Good news for the Green Party, which speaks of a great step towards animal protection. This law establishes more effective measures to investigate and punish violence against animals.
Senator Andrea believes that the approval of this law marks an important step in the fight against animal abuse in Colombia. This bill aims to update the National Animal Protection Law, in force since 1989, which consists of taking more effective measures to investigate and punish anyone found guilty of violence against animals. In addition, it promotes awareness-raising actions among citizens to prevent animal abuse.

“We salute the enormous work of our MP in favor of the protection of life in all its manifestations, as well as the support of our parliamentary group in the House of Representatives,” can be read on the website of the Partido Alianza Verde.

The adoption of this law called Angel in the Colombian parliament therefore represents a great victory for greens who consider the life of all living beings sacred.

“We join in the joyful words of Senator Padilla: ‘We did it, the Angels’ Law was unanimously approved! Anyone who rapes an animal or sexually abuses an animal will be subject to severe penalties. Thank God for life and so many wonderful people. For animals, I persist,'” underlines the statement published on the Green Party website.

Here are some of the highlights of the Law of Angels:

• Increases the prison sentence for anyone who intentionally kills an animal, seriously harms its health or integrity or sexually abuses it.
• The penalty for the guilty will exceed the 3 years provided for in the old law.
• Penalties will be imposed on anyone who directly or indirectly commits violence against an animal, disseminate pornography featuring animals or scenes of animal violence, attacks an animal as part of an economic activity or mutilates it.
• Convicts are prohibited from owning animals again for a long period of time.
• Create a registry of convicted persons in the charge of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the police.
• The Public Prosecutor’s Office is obliged to create forensic technical guides so that any veterinarian, in any municipality
  in the country, can give an expert opinion that serves as evidence (today many processes do not prosper because of this lack of technical support).
• Demand the creation of a national road of attention to animal abuse that reaches all municipalities in the country, and
  a road to care for animals that are victims of the armed conflict.
• Create a sanction procedure to deal with less serious cases of animal abuse that do not constitute a crime.
• Make training and awareness-raising mandatory for prosecutors, judges, police inspectors, and municipal and departmental officials.
• Allow anyone who commits minor abuse to serve their sentence by taking a course on animal protection.