United Nations: No children to bullfights in Spain

The Committee on the Rights of the Child of the United Nations requests Spain to keep children and young people aged under 18 away from the violence of bullfights. Bullfighting is in violation of the Convention of Children ‘s Rights. Colombia, Ecuador, France, Mexico, Portugal and Peru already received a similar request from the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

This announcement has been done after Fondation Franz Weber presented a report to the United Nations in which it is demonstrated that children are exposed to physical and psychological violence when they see a bullfight. The request also applies to children that participate in bullfights and learn to bullfight in bullfighting schools. Spain has more than 50 bullfighting schools.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child brings together the right of all children to a level of life that is suitable for physical, mental, moral and social development. It calls on the duty of the state to take the necessary measures to protect minors, something which is not realized by bullfighting. According to the Spanish legislation, there was an exception for bullfights. This means that minors in Spain were until now able to attend bullfights and cruel feasts with bulls. They also were allowed to take lessons at a bullfighting school. Thanks to several studies we know that the violence in bullfights has psychological effects on children, such as trauma and the weakening of moral judgment and empathy.

The Spanish government has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which it is obliged to uphold this through legal mandate. CAS International is very pleased with the decision of the United Nations. CAS works in a project to end bullfighting schools and the access of children to bullfights. Part of this project is to mobilize organizations that focus on the improvements of children’s rights, and together reach this goal. CAS will keep using its expertise to reach a prohibition of the access of minors to and participation in bullfights.

Platform La Tortura No es Cultura (Torture is no Culture), of which CAS is founder of, has initiated a petition to stop children taking lessons in bullfighting schools. Sign the petition.