Bogota, Colombia – On April 20, Colombia’s transitional justice mechanism, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), published a report on the violence suffered by animals in situations of armed conflict.
A report by JEP, conducted in partnership with the University of Essex, found that an animal is killed or injured every 30 minutes as a result of armed conflict.
Animal rights activists said the release was a step forward in raising awareness of the invisible violence inflicted on animals in war.
The report was developed through database building using 600 X accounts belonging to 237 national, regional and local media outlets, social and environmental organizations, state agencies and multilateral organizations.
Based on the collected information, livestock were individually classified and wild animals were classified into groups. In this context, 100,252 livestock face violence and 44 species are at risk of extinction due to armed conflict.
32% of recorded animal-related incidents were directly linked to military action, including armed confrontations, ambushes and attacks. The impact was not evenly distributed throughout the territory. There are areas where armed conflict, illicit economies, and environmental abundance combine to cause increasing damage. For example, Antioquia has the highest concentration of species threatened by conflict.
“We realized that most of the incidents were related to landmine incidents, anti-personnel mines, ambushes against public security forces, harassment of public security forces, armed confrontations, etc. There were situations where animals were killed or injured and in other cases they were affected by forced displacement,” said Laura Ojeda, a researcher at JEP’s Investigations and Prosecution Department who contributed to the report.
Forced abandonment was one of the most documented forms of harm identified in the report. This was mainly because it was closely linked to the sacrifice of caregivers in the dynamics of conflict. Of the recorded cases, 27% (equivalent to approximately 900,000 animals) involved forced abandonment.
The report also identified nine ways in which animals were used as a means of transportation during armed conflict. As a device for detonating explosive artifacts; As an instrument of inflicting pain and suffering – torture –; As a sentinel for quick warning; As a surveillance tool; Acts of bioterrorism related to zoonotic diseases; as a propaganda tool; As an amulet or as part of an esoteric ritual; And it is used as a means to terrorize communities and extort money from business owners and farmers.
Visualize animal suffering
This report is provided as part of JEP’s efforts to recognize the environment within the justice, truth, and reparations process. This release, the third in a three-part series, is the first to focus on the specific forms of violence suffered by animals.
“This is part of our strategy to recognize all forms of life that have become victims of Colombia’s armed conflict,” Ojeda said. Latin America Report.
For Senator Andrea Padilla of the Green Alliance (Alianza Verde) party, the report represents an important step forward for animal rights.
She points out that harm to animals is typically treated as a secondary issue, like property damage, within the framework of harm to human property.
“Animals have always been excluded from moral considerations, legal considerations and even news reports,” the senator said. Latin America Report.
The team that wrote the report was faced with the challenge of shifting the narrative away from a legal framework that referred to animals only as part of their natural environment.
Instead, it adopted a “discriminatory” approach from the natural sciences in collaboration with the science support organization La Enredadera & co.
For Luis Carlos Posso, an anthropologist and member of the group, the report represents an exception to “the inevitable anthropocentrism that permeates the law.”
Senator Padilla emphasized the implications for animal rights: “I think it is fair that sentient beings capable of feelings, affections, social, moral and emotional lives are also considered to be affected by conflict.”
Padilla added that understanding the impact of conflict on animals deepens our understanding of the toll of human violence.
“When we understand that there are bonds of affection, bonds of family that are suddenly broken by war, we can see the conflict in a deeper way – understand the deepest forms of harm that are caused,” the senator said.
Animals who are victims of armed conflict
In addition to detailing the harm done to the animals, the report suggests a range of compensation measures. These include habitat restoration, veterinary care in conflict areas, public veterinary care networks, inclusion of animals in remembrance and truth processes, protective measures for species at risk, and conservation plans.
However, there is still a long way to go before animals are fully recognized as victims.
“Legally, they are not objects, but they are also not rights holders. If you are not a rights holder, you cannot be recognized as a victim,” explains Ojeda.
Colombian law recognizes animals as sentient beings, and laws such as Angel’s Law reflect significant progress in animal rights. Currently, a bill is advancing in Congress that would recognize animals and ecosystems as historical and legal victims of domestic armed conflict, prohibit their use as tools of war, and mandate mandatory reparations. Bill No. 2025, led by Senator Esmeralda Hernández of the Pacto Histórico party. It’s 012.
Senator Padilla explained that the success of legal changes will depend on who is elected as the next president.
“Without doubt, this report is of great value. Not only does it provide another perspective on armed conflict, it explicitly includes animals in analyzes of war, harm and peace,” said Senator Padilla. She added that animals must be involved in the redress process, arguing that “peace must include animals or it will not be complete.”
This article originally appeared in The Bogotá Post and is republished with permission.
Featured image description: A parrot on a tree.
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