WAJ Vision: A World where Justice exists for Animals
What is WAJ? International NGO Advancing Animal Law Advocacy
For 'Crimes against Animality' to be recognized and prohibited in International law
Existing laws are not enough to protect animal rights to live, be free and well-treated.
It is time to go further for animals. It is time for the legal paradigm shift.
It is time for World Animal Justice. ”
What is World Animal Justice?
World Animal Justice (WAJ) is a non-profit international NGO working for:
– Fundamental animal rights (to live, be free and well-treated) to be legally recognized; AND
– Crimes against all animals (killings, sequestrations, tortures etc) and Zoocide (extermination of animal populations & species) to be globally prohibited.
WAJ’s final goal is to have ‘crimes against animality’ and ‘Zoocide’ recognized and forbidden in international law, in the same way that crimes against humanity and genocide are already, and that crimes against environment and ecocide are progressing in this sense.
WAJ gathers an Expert group of +30 international animal lawyers (academics, practionners, consultants) and other experienced professionals from the 5 continents. We work to make concrete proposals to significantly improve animal protection laws based on solid legal expertise. We share our legal proposals in webinars, academic papers, special reports, open-letters and position-papers.
WAJ works at national, regional and international projects with other international NGOs: Asia for Animals, Charity doings, Humanisma, ADDA, Derecho Animal Perù, Animal Law and Policy Network, Lawyers for Animal Protection in Africa.
World Animal Justice (WAJ) is dedicated to advancing animal justice worldwide
WAJ unique group of international animal law experts is working to protect animal rights and combat the crimes against animals.
WAJ is paving the way for ‘crimes against animality’ to be recognized and ultimately forbidden in international criminal law.
- WAJ is engaged in developing new law proposals and tools to share knowledge and comparative analysis.
- WAJ aims to provide an global platform to international criminal animal law academics and advocates.
- From theory to practice, our proposals are based on a solid expertise and translated into concrete actions.
- WAJ is dedicated to combating animal crimes with laws at National, Regional and International/UNiversal levels.
Why do we need World Animal Justice ?
The vast majority of the world’s countries have adopted national laws to condemn cruel acts towards animals.
However, there is NO INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW INSTRUMENT addressing and banning animal cruelty worldwide.
World Animal Justice actions aim to fill this GAP in order to ask for Global Animal Protection in international law.
Last but not least, WAJ stands that the worst cruel criminal acts against animals need to be globally banned.
Animals are scientifically and legally recognized as sentient beings whose welfare and fundamental rights should be respected.
WAJ aims to go further and foster animal protection laws for their fundamental rights to be legally ensured and protected worldwide.
WAJ Mission: Defend Animal Rights - End Animal Crimes
WAJ Goals
- WAJ works for ‘crimes against animality’ to be recognized and prohibited internationally
- ‘Crimes against animality’ can be defined by analogy with the ‘Crimes against humanity’ that are listed under the Art. 7 of the Rome Statute defining the Crimes against humanity as such: Massive killings; Exterminations; Enslavement; Deportation or forcible transfer of population; Imprisonment ; Torture; Sexual violence; Persecutions etc.
- Similar crimes happens for millions of animals everyday, in a legal way for exploited animals.
- WAJ seeks to ban the crimes against animality (for all categories of animals: farmed, wild, captive, companion, stray, lab animals, used for work, sports, shows, tourism etc.) to protect the lives of trillions of animals every year worldwide.
- WAJ advocates for a new Art. 7 bis on “crimes against animality” to be enshrined in Rome Statute of ICC.
- WAJ is advocating for animal rights to be legally enshrined and protected in UNiversal law
- Similarly to humans, animals have the fundamental interests to live, to be free and not to be harmed.
WAJ asks for these fundamental intests to be legally protected at the global level, such as the “human rights” are protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948). - By analogy, a text for the universal recognition of animal rights can include similar recognition of the Right to Life, Liberty, Personal Security” (UDHR, art.3); “Freedom from Slavery” (UDHR, art.4); “Freedom from Torture and Degrading Treatment” (UDHR, art.5). See the proposal for a Universal Declaration of Animal Rights proclaimed at UNESCO in 1978.
- WAJ stands for the universal protection of animals’ fundamental rights to live, be free and well-treated.
WAJ Actions: Animal Rights Law against Animal Crimes Worldwide
- Go FAR: For Animal Rights
For the global legal protection of animal fundamental rights to live, to be free and well-treated.
- Take ACTION: Animal Crimes Time is Over Now
For Crimes against animality and Zoocide to be recognized and forbidden in international law.
WAJ STRATEGY: From theory to practice
. THEORY
Provide a solid definition and theory of the ‘crimes against animality’ and ‘Zoocide’ in international law.
. PRACTICE
Set up concrete actions for ‘crimes against animality’ and ‘Zoocide’ to be recognized and progressively forbidden in international law.
WAJ Priority: Stopping the Factory-Farming Zoocide
Why and How the Major Animal Crimes of Factory Farming Should be Stopped Now?
For animal crimes to be globally banned, the law has an essential role to play.
For instance, instead of continuing to authorize the massive exploitation of animals, the law can contain some obligations like to use the existing alternatives to animal products (eg: plant-based proteins) and animal methods (eg: non-animal experiments) and to develop their availability and accessibility.
This would be in coherence with the duty of the law to protect the welfare of animals as sentient beings considering that ANIMALS ARE THE VICTIMS OF THE MOST MASSIVE CRIMES ON EARTH, the great majority of them being perpetrated because of the current industrial and deleterious food-system increasing animal proteins production. However, scientific evidence shows that this system is a disaster for animals, humans and the planet.
On the economic front, harmful incentives and subsidies (eg: many billion $ afforded every year for Factory farming) could be reassigned into positive ones for the protection of animals, environment and human health in developing plant-based proteins alternative enhancing food security and a better future for all living beings.
For animal crimes to be globally banned, the law has an essential role to play. For instance, instead of continuing to authorize the massive exploitation of animals, the law can contain some obligations like to use the existing alternatives to animal products (eg: plant-based proteins) and animal methods (eg: non-animal experiments) and to develop their availability and accessibility. This would be in coherence with the duty of the law to protect the welfare of animals as sentient beings considering that ANIMALS ARE THE VICTIMS OF THE MOST MASSIVE CRIMES ON EARTH, the great majority of them being perpetrated because of the current industrial and deleterious food-system increasing animal proteins production. However, scientific evidence shows that this system is a disaster for animals, humans and the planet.