Llanelli’s MP Nia Griffith met with the RSPCA team in Parliament to hear about their ‘Generation Kind’ project to teach children about the importance of being compassionate towards animals.
Ms Griffith, who has long campaigned for better animal welfare standards, has recently been working with other MPs to push the UK Government to increase sentences for animal cruelty. She met the RSPCA to discuss their work in tackling animal cruelty and raising awareness of the issue amongst children.
They also discussed RSPCA’s prestigious debating competition, the ‘Great Debate’, which encourages schoolchildren to engage with animal welfare issues. Coedcae School are taking part in the regional heat of the ‘Great Debate’ in Swansea this Wednesday (12th February), and Llanelli’s MP has wished them good luck.
Ms Griffith commented: “I was shocked to learn that nearly a quarter of school children aged 10 to 18 have witnessed animal cruelty or neglect on social media. It’s terrible that children are being exposed to this appalling suffering at such an early age.
“It is our duty to raise the next generation to treat animals with compassion, and I pay tribute to the RSPCA’s work with schools to promote this. Their ‘Great Debate’ competition is a great way of engaging children with these issues, and I’m pleased that Coedcae School are taking part. Best of luck to all the pupils involved!
“I have been working with other MPs to get the UK Government to press on with toughening up sentences for animal cruelty. We will keep pushing for the best possible animal welfare standards in the UK and around the world.”
Chris Sherwood, Chief Executive of RSPCA, added: “It’s great that Nia Griffith MP attended our drop in event to find out how we help animals in their constituency.
“Our frontline officers see some really horrific suffering and our research revealed that children as young as 10 have seen cruelty and attacks in social media videos and posts which is worrying.
“We are working hard to create a generation of children who treat animals with kindness, compassion and respect through Generation Kind – a series of projects working with youngsters at risk of offending, animal care sessions for children in care and also talks and competitions for primary and secondary school children designed to make them think about animal welfare.”
More details about the RSPCA Generation Kind campaign can be found here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/education
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