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Those who practice acts of violence and abuse against dogs and cats could be punished more severely in the country. Congress passed a change to the 1998 Environmental Crimes Act, which extends the maximum sentence for offenders from one year to five years in prison.
The text, which had already passed through the House last year, was also approved the day before yesterday by the Senate and will take effect as soon as it is approved by the Executive.
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Current law provides for detention from three months to a year and a fine for cases of animal abuse.
With the new understanding, when the violence is against dogs or cats (the most common domestic animals), the minimum sentence will start from two years and could reach five years in prison, if convicted. The abuser can also be fined and prevented from keeping pets.
For the author of the proposal, the deputy Fred Costa (Patriota-MG) -and also in the opinion of activists for the causes of animals-, the current legislation is soft against the aggressor, which causes the feeling that there is a “Culture of impunity” of these crimes, even trivialization, with images and videos of mistreatment shared over the Internet.
Total impunity and profile
The president of the Commission for the Defense of Animal Rights of the São Paulo section of the Brazilian Bar Association (Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil), Maíra Pereira Vélez explains: “Even if you are arrested for mistreating an animal, the perpetrator signs a detailed term and responds to the process in freedom. Without experience in animals and the environment, the judicial process does not constitute the necessary evidence for conviction. In addition, an agreement is offered for the defendant to lift the sentence by providing services such as a penalty or by paying basic food baskets or a small amount of money to a charity, in addition to a fine. Total impunity ”.
According to the president, in addition to extending the sanction period, which is “extremely important,” the new text allows, in the most serious cases, the aggressor to serve his sentence in a closed regime. Also according to the lawyer, there is a correlation between violence against animals and people. “Studies show that in violent environments against animals, especially in homes and spaces to live and work, criminals who abuse them have prior convictions for violent crimes against vulnerable humans, such as women, children and the elderly. It’s the link theory, studied by the FBI (American police) since the 1970s.
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