DR. SWAIB K NSEREKO: Observing Animal Welfare Will Promote Human Rights Adherence

Human rights abuses in Uganda are overshooting acceptable limits. Perpetuators go scot-free. In the rare instances of cash damages to victims, delivery hardly comes along. It’s becoming a norm. Trivial disagreements are answered with terrible vengeances—by word and action, culminating into torture that constitutes a slow death sentence. It’s a dangerous trend with a high cost to pay. Dire consequences include radicalizing the youth into violent extremism. This involves instability, fostering endless conflicts and stressing the limited resources. Tracking their baseline, violent behaviors stem from the ways humanity shares the universe with other species—particularly animals, birds and the vegetation.  In Uganda we are all guilty, the way we relate with animals and birds. These are our closest neighbors amongst other species. They possess a level of intelligence that sometimes surpasses that of some humans. Above all, they have emotions—sad and happy. Until humanity, anywhere including Uganda will relate kindly and compassionately with especially domestic animals, Ugandans will never appreciate the value of human rights. Look how we do it: we tightly tie the horns and tails of cattle and by a lorry transport them over 100km to the abattoir in that state. We bundle chicken upside down on a boda-boda (motor cycle) to the market. We slaughter goats in the abattoir one by one staring at each other under a knife. This way, they die with volumes of anger boiling down their flesh. The anger contaminates the meat that we eat in form of poison. The poison permeates our body cells to turn into cancer. Hence the current phenomenal prevalence of cancer cases unusually common amongst young people. This is only part of the price paid to our injustice against animals. More is due. To every single injustice there is an eventual price, first by the perpetrator but also a long chain of others, you the reader inclusive.

Pig Most Abused Animal 

In Uganda the pig is the most brutally treated animal. It needs a savior! A Muslim ‘faithful’ will stone it for no justified reason. To enjoy its meat, a Christian ‘faithful’ butcher will first severally hit its head with the back of a hoe or an axe while tying its legs till death. Apparently, it dies wailing with no son of Adam to imagine the depth of pain experienced. Sometimes it’s dipped alive in boiling water! Some leaders use its adjective for expressing extreme anger against enemies—you swine, pigs! But the pig is an important member of this planet earth and country Uganda. People have lots of misconceptions about its nature—a nature not of its own choice but of its Creator’s for a wisdom full of purpose. To abuse it, is to mock its Creator, the Creator of us all. They accuse it of its ability to devour some of its piglets, forgetting this is a unique natural population control method. Besides it is taking the piglets back to the environment they are most used to. This is after realizing that if all of them were to feed by suckling it 24/7 its own life is endangered and so is all of them. But as a parent, it is very protective of the remaining young. Comparatively, its population control method is more intelligent than of a man and a woman who throw their baby along the street to who and whichever cares! In rare cases the ilk of Sanyu babies’ home—a child care center in Uganda, will pick up that abused baby but the intent and purpose of the mother and father is to donate it to scavengers. The pig is also often accused of untidiness as it often wallows in mud.  This is a natural way of regulating body temperature since its body structure lacks pores for perspiring. But it has a way of cleaning itself. These are the kind of negative attitudes Ugandans possess towards our cousins, the animals and birds. It explains the total lack of local enthusiasm in uplifting the tourism industry in Uganda. How will this attitude differ in terms of human rights adherence between us as citizens?

Call for Action

Therefore, for all efforts towards redressing the human rights situation, we must consider the first things. Parliaments must review the existing laws about humanity and the environment. Special and strict attention must be paid to the treatment of domestic animals and birds. The revised laws must stress the animal welfare, transportation and slaughter guidelines. Abattoirs should be located in walk-able distances from where animals and birds are secured and only the meat should be transported for long distances. Modern ways of slaughtering the pig with minutely pain must be secured and one goat should not see how the other is slaughtered. For now, we offer our contacts to eye witnesses of animal abuses to send videos, images and text evidence to whatsapp: +256740994323 to help our team of lawyers undertake court litigations. We anticipate full cooperation from the police (Interpol) and the entire judicial systems. These are but some of the critical ways of making people in Uganda and the world better appreciate the value of human rights.

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This effort is sustained by donations. If concerned, support with cash on: 0740994323 (Ibrahim Nsereko) or deposit direct on:

• Equity Bank Account No: 1033100288536

• Account Name: Kaggwa Swaib Nsereko (Author)

• Bank swift code: EQBLUGKA

• Intermediary bank name: CITI BANK NEW YORK

Dr Swaib K Nsereko

, the Pig Advocate, Looya W’embizzi