A society that doesn't respect its children can never be empathetic towards animals: Sania Saaed

Actor spoke out against the rising animal cruelty cases in the country

In her roles as both an actor and activist, Sania Saeed consistently speaks out against injustices affecting both humans and animals. Pakistan has recently seen a rise in cases of animal violence, with many incidents involving young children torturing animals on the streets. As a guest on The MM Show, Saeed addressed this pressing issue.

Saeed emphasised that parents play a crucial role in teaching kindness to their children, and this can be effectively achieved through interactions with animals. She remarked, “We don’t realise but the way we talk to children, we pass on these irrational fears about animals. They’ve subconsciously learnt from your behaviour that animals are something be scared of or that they are dirty. There are so many prejudices we get from history.”

The Raqeeb Se actor also pointed out that looking after animals is our responsibility and that Pakistan isn’t alone in this problem. “If you look at India, animals there are treated poorly as well, especially dogs. Parents must teach kindness to kids, and it can be easily done through animals. Through animals, children can learn to receive non-verbal cues. When they grow up caring for animals and seeing their parents being kind to animals, they become more empathetic,” she said. 

Saeed also pointed out the lack of respect Pakistani society shows towards children, noting that their wishes and opinions are often ignored, a treatment that parallels the way animals are treated. She stated, “People don’t respect their kids; you cannot think that they will be empathetic towards animals either. Working for children and animals can be done simultaneously and this will make our society better.”

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