Urge the Government to Ban Children From Attending Hunts!

Watching wildlife being terrorised, shot, or otherwise slaughtered is inarguably traumatic for children. It can be psychologically scarring for young people, most of whom have a natural empathy for animals. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has published General Comment No 26 which recommends that children be shielded from “exposure to violence, such as … violence inflicted on animals”. To protect children from exposure to such violence, they must be barred from witnessing or participating in hunting activities.

Please add your name to PETA’s petition urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Minister for Children and Families Janet Daby to introduce new legislation!

Hunts Are Horrifying for Children and Animals

Animals killed for fun by hunters have the same capacity to suffer and feel pain as the dogs and cats we share our homes with – indeed as humans do. Yet in the UK, foxes, deer, and other animals are chased, terrorised, shot, or slaughtered in other gruesome ways.

Even though the Hunting Act has made it illegal to hunt wildlife with dogs in the UK since 2004, depraved hunters still gather to do just that. In 2021, a Boxing Day hunt in Warwickshire resulted in chunks of flesh being torn from a terrified deer’s body by a pack of dogs, and in February this year, footage of a fear-stricken fox being dug out of their den and ripped apart by dogs was made public. Countless other sentient beings have been viciously killed across the country in the name of this sick entertainment since then.

Early Exposure to Violence

Witnessing animals being killed for human entertainment not only leaves impressionable young people profoundly disturbed but also desensitises them to animal suffering. It teaches them that the lives of others are not valuable and that it is acceptable – even enjoyable – to inflict pain and torment on them.

There are well-established links between cruelty to animals in childhood and antisocial behaviour in adulthood. According to a study published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, witnessing cruelty or neglect may lead children to engage in abuse towards humans and other animals in the future.

Protection Is Needed

Certain hunting groups start grooming children as young as 4 to chase foxes to their deaths. While the official line may be to allow over 12s to use guns, some parents start teaching kids to shoot as young as age 3.

In 2023, an 11-year-old boy was shot in the hip during a hunting trip in Sussex, leaving him with potentially life-changing injuries. In 2021, a 2-year-old girl was fatally injured during a fox hunt in Newcastle.

Recommended by the United Nations

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child previously spoke out about the harmful effects of witnessing the abuse of any sentient being. Now, it has included the issue in its guidance to nations regarding how they should implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: General Comment No 26 recommends that children be shielded from “exposure to violence, such as … violence inflicted on animals”.

Following the committee’s previous intervention, Portugal raised the minimum age for watching gruesome bullfights from 12 to 16. Now, the UK must prevent children from being exposed to – and taking part in – cruel hunts.

Ahead of the formal launch of General Comment No 26 in Geneva, PETA sent a letter urging Rishi Sunak to consider the impact hunting has on children. Will you join us by signing a petition to the prime minister and the minister for children and families?

Keir Starmer MP
Janet Daby MP

RE: Legislation to Prohibit Exposing Children to Hunting Activities

UN MIS Petition Description Text - *Important Note* You must UNLINK this shared library component before making page-specific customizations.

Dear ministers:

We are writing to request your leadership in introducing legislation to prohibit exposing children to hunting activities – including trail hunting, which is often used as a smokescreen for killing wild animals. This request is in accordance with the new General Comment No 26 from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the UK has ratified.

As you will know, general comments provide definitive guidance and clarity as to how nations must act in order to comply with the convention and meet their legal obligation to protect children’s rights. General Comment No 26 states, “Children must be protected from all forms of physical and psychological violence and from exposure to violence, such as domestic violence or violence inflicted on animals.” In light of this authoritative guidance on the legally binding human rights charter, we call on the government to protect children by enacting the aforementioned legislation.

Animals killed for fun by hunters have the same capacity to suffer and feel pain as the dogs and cats we share our homes with – indeed as humans do. Watching wildlife being terrorised, gunned down, or otherwise slaughtered is inarguably traumatic for children to witness. It can be psychologically scarring for young people, most of whom have a natural empathy for animals. What’s worse is that it teaches children that animal’s lives are not valuable and that it is acceptable – even enjoyable – to inflict pain and torment on others. This is especially concerning when you consider that sociological studies have determined that violent and aggressive criminals invariably started out abusing animals.

Certain hunting groups start grooming children as young as 4 to chase foxes to their deaths. While the official line may be to allow over 12s to use guns, some parents start teaching kids to shoot as young as age 3. In 2023, an 11-year-old boy was shot in the hip – leaving him with potentially life-changing injuries – during a hunting trip in Sussex. In 2021, a 2-year-old girl was fatally injured during a fox hunt in Newcastle.

As the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has recognised, to help young people thrive it is essential that we take measures to protect them from witnessing acts of casual violence against animals. May we please hear that you will follow the committee’s guidance and ban children from participating in hunting spectacles?

Sincerely,

Sign the Petition

Sign below using your full name and address. Invalid entries will be removed.

Fields with an asterisk(*) are required.​

Staying in Touch
As a PETA supporter, you're already helping to save the lives of animals. To show you how we put our supporters' donations to good use and to provide you with information on ways you can continue to help animals, including how to become a PETA member or make donations to support our work, we may contact you by post using the information you've provided in this form.

Sign up for e-mails from PETA including:

Support our work to save animals. Select YES to receive e-mails, including about other ways to help animals, such as by signing petitions and funding PETA's lifesaving work.