As the strongest celebrity voice advocating for animal rights in India, Anushka Sharma wants stricter punishment and better application of justice against offenders. Anushka has recently started campaigning for the amendment of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Post Lucky's death, the Mumbai dog that was beaten just because he was taking shelter in a society premises during heavy rains, Anushka has been very vocal about the cause. The act currently sees an accused liable to pay only 10-100 rupees as a fine for committing heinous crimes against animals! Anushka has named the campaign #JusticeForAnimals is going to advocate for stricter laws, harsher punishment and better implementation of these laws preventing animal cruelty.
“Life is life and each and every life on this beautiful planet is equally important. This world is not just for humans. It is equally for all living beings on this planet and If humans can get justice for crimes committed against them, animals should also have equal rights to get justice. So, for any human to feel his or her life is more important than a voiceless being is nothing short of brutality and comes from a place of entitlement which is undeserved,” says Anushka.
With her massive combined social media following of over 60 million followers, Anushka is using her digital influence to speak a constructive debate and conversation around animal welfare in our country. Anushka has regularly been highlighting atrocities against animals in our country for some time. Recently, when she spoke out against the gruesome beating and death that a dog, lucky, suffered in Mumbai, she found huge support online. She has been highlighting several gruesome cases of animal atrocities across the nation post that. Anushka is now looking for sustainable, organised policy change.
“If we as an evolved species can't take it upon ourselves to protect the interest of these voiceless beings then it is highly shameful that we pride ourselves as the most evolved species. Therefore, it is our duty to protect, nurture and preserve them and humanely treat them with respect and dignity. Over the years, as a voice for the welfare of animals and a voice against cruelty towards animals, I have come across so many cases of absolute ignorance and lack of total empathy and compassion in people towards animals. This exists because the existing laws don't protect the rights of animals as they should,” she says.
Vocal about equal rights for animals and a thought leader in
this space, Anushka adds, “We as a culture and society, have always given so
much emphasis on treating all of Gods creations with love and compassion and it
breaks my heart to see time and again how cruel some people can be towards
these harmless beings. The existing laws are archaic and need to be relooked at
and implemented with punishments deserving of the crimes committed so that
there is fear in people's mind before they decide to raise their hands on a
voiceless being. Looking at the ecological imbalances and crisis our world is
dealing with right now, the time to act is now.”
Images Source: instagram/anushkasharma