The World Assembly,
Disgusted at the routine and often monumental abuse that many non-sapient species face, particularly those in the biological kingdom of Animalia, and
Believing that supplementary international legislation is needed to prevent such abuse,
Hereby enacts the following International Charter For Animal Welfare.
- This Charter is intended for the protection of non-sapient beings, rather than that of unfeeling beings (such as bacteria, plants, and most unconscious robots). For the purposes of this Charter, a "non-sapient" being is one which is not considered a sapient by legal or scientific consensus, but which is capable of having experience(s) such as feeling.
- All non-sapient beings shall enjoy freedom from extreme and unnecessary suffering caused by sapients. To that end, no sapient being may abuse a non-sapient being. For the purposes of this Charter, the "abuse" of a non-sapient being:
- includes inflicting extremely painful acts on that being, without taking steps to eliminate their suffering (such as administering anesthesia); for example, most common forms of animal abuse - such as tail-docking, castration, dehorning, iron branding, and debeaking - may be considered abuse under this clause;
- includes acting to seriously endanger the mental health of that being; for example, insufficient stimulation, exercise, or space, isolation from other members of one's species, and sensory overload may be considered abuse under this clause; and
- does not include any action taken by a sapient being to defend themselves or others.
- The Protection of Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) shall be granted the authority to hear cases relating to violations of Article 2. To that effect, it shall:
- consider complaints, filed by any sapient being or group thereof resident within any WA member nation, that any other sapient being or group thereof within a member nation has abused a non-sapient being at any point since this resolution has been binding on that member nation;
- only accept complaints if there is evidence to support the complaint; and if all other levels of government have refused to prosecute the abuse in question (including if corruption, negligence, or non-enforcement is the factor behind the failure to prosecute); and
- make a swift decision, based on the facts of the case and scientific procedures, as to whether or not abuse (as defined in Article 2) has happened, and
- punish the subject of the complaint if they are found to have violated Article 2; under no circumstances shall this result in the subject being sentenced to death, subjected to torture, made stateless, or otherwise given a disproportionate sentence.
- In addition, and separately from its Article 3 duties as a tribunal, PAWS shall direct funding and support to those whose intention is to aid the welfare of non-sapient beings. This direction shall be guided by the principle of maximizing positive emotions, minimizing negative emotions, and eliminating the abuse of non-sapient beings.
