Humans and animals, both victims of violence
From All-Creatures.org Animal Rights Activism Articles Archive

FROM

ACT Asia
March 2017

We are not protecting, we are creating a world where protection is not needed.

This is why we at ACTAsia, we are focusing so much of our energy and care on nurturing compassion and empathy. Through our Caring for Life Education (CLE) program we work to help children in primary schools across China develop responsibility and kindness towards humans, animals and the environment. But is it working?

Our latest evaluation shows it really is! The most recent results which studied the behaviours of students (AY2015-16) have reinforced the findings from the previous Academic Years (2013-2015). Students who participated in our CLE program during AY 2015-2016 showed more empathy and greater kindness to their peers than they did before participating. The control group, who did not participate in CLE, did not show any greater understanding.

People across the globe were horrified last year, when four Chinese students aggressively stripped naked and physically abused a fellow Chinese peer in California, USA.The attackers used any available means of torture to attack their victim, who was slapped, burned with cigarettes, and kicked with high heel shoes.

Shortly after this case made headlines, we came across the heartbreaking incident of primary school children in China, torturing frogs by pulling them apart while they were still alive. These images will forever stay with the little girl who wrote a letter to her school principal about what she had seen, asking for something to please be done about it.

girl and frog

Bullying and violence are on the rise among young Chinese people. Although only a very small percentage of cases are reported, these reports more than doubled in the year between 2014 and 2015, rising from 46 to 100.

While some may argue that violence towards frogs cannot be equated to violence towards people, researchers disagree. Experts have found a definite connection between children who bully their peers or exhibit cruelty towards animals, and adults who commit violent crimes. In short, young bullies are far more likely to grow up to be criminals than children who learn a sense of responsibility and consideration for other living beings.

no bullying

This is why we at ACTAsia, we are focusing so much of our energy and care on nurturing compassion and empathy. Through our Caring for Life Education (CLE) program we work to help children in primary schools across China develop responsibility and kindness towards humans, animals and the environment. But is it working?

Our latest evaluation shows it really is! The most recent results which studied the behaviours of students (AY2015-16) have reinforced the findings from the previous Academic Years (2013-2015). Students who participated in our CLE program during AY 2015-2016 showed more empathy and greater kindness to their peers than they did before participating. The control group, who did not participate in CLE, did not show any greater understanding.

caring for life

While objective evaluations give us a necessary measure of success, it’s the compelling anecdotes given by CLE staff and school teachers that give an encouraging sense of the growing kindness among participating schools. We see and hear for ourselves how children save stray or injured animals, influence their own parents to lead more compassionate lifestyles and refuse to buy ivory gifts or visit the circus.

This latest evaluation has given us further verification of our work; this is what you help us to achieve.

Through your support, we have reached more than 56,000 students and trained more than 1,100 teachers so far. A small donation goes a very long way in China. CLE helps people, animals and the environment in a long-term and sustainable way, for a better tomorrow.


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