A proposed bill, set to be discussed in parliament this Friday, was submitted today, aiming to criminalize “sexual offenses against animals” under the penal code, with penalties ranging from six months to two years in prison or a fine of 60 to 120 days.
The initiative also broadens the current legal definition of animals in the penal code, extending beyond companion animals to include all domesticated animals under human control or not living in the wild.
The party led by Inês de Sousa Real also proposes increasing the maximum penalty for causing death or mistreatment to animals from the current two to three years in prison.
Additionally, the PAN suggests that animal abandonment be further penalized, beyond the current six-month prison sentence or 60-day fine, with a ban on animal ownership for up to six years, prohibition from participating in animal-related events, and closure of animal-related establishments.
“Cruelty against animals is a serious issue increasingly recognized as a risk indicator for other violent crimes. Countries like Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States have made significant progress in this field — the FBI, for example, since 2016 classifies crimes against animals as ‘crimes against society’,” states Inês de Sousa Real in a statement.
In the explanatory statement, the PAN emphasizes that animal sensitivity is now “indisputable,” and that their “capacity for suffering, sensitivity to pain, and capacity for affection” should prompt a “profound ethical and legal reflection on the relationship between humans and animals.”
The party also criticizes what it sees as a “glaring injustice in the treatment of animals that do not feel differently, regardless of the purpose of their use.”
