On behalf of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, Olympic medalist and five-time undisputed world boxing champion Mangte Chungn-eijang Mary Kom has written a letter to the Education Minister of Uttarakhand soliciting that PETA’s humane education programme, Compass-ionate Citizen, be incorporated into the official curriculum of schools in the region for children aged 8 to 12 years.
In the letter, Kom points out that violence against animals by children is often an early sign of future acts of violence against humans. Kom has written similar letters to other State and Union Territory Education Ministers in the country.
She writes, “One of the best ways to knock out cruelty to animals is to teach compassion to young people. Animals need us in their corner. With violence seemingly all around us, it is more important than ever that we teach lessons of respect and kindness in the classroom.”
According to PETA, Compassionate Citizen has been voluntarily used in more than 15,000 private and government schools and has reached more than 3 million children across India. Recently, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) issued a notification to CBSE schools asking them to use it as an official part of their curriculum. The Animal Welfare Board of India – a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests – has also asked the State and Union Territory Education ministers to incorporate Compassionate Citizen into their official curriculum.
Most children naturally feel concern and affection for animals but often lose sight of their compassion. A lack of respect for other species can translate into cruelty towards humans, too. Compassionate Citizen offers teachers tools and lesson plans designed to teach children to view animals as feeling, sensitive beings.