2004-02-07 Des activistes de la protection animale réclament des lois contre la bestialité (EN)

Animal activists demand law against animal sex ["several hundred pets raped in Sweden every year"]

Nettavisen ^ | 2.6.04 | Carin Pettersson

Animal activists demand law against animal sex

Tilrettelagt av Carin Pettersson 06.02.04 12:03, ny 06.02.04 12:51

The Swedish veterinary organization claims that several hundred pets are raped in Sweden every year. Now there is a demand for a law making sex with animals illegal.

To rape an animal is not illegal in Sweden and the sexual assaults are becoming more and more common, stated Johan Beck-Friis at Sveriges Veterinärförbund (the Swedish veterinary organization), quoted Swedish paper Aftonbladet.

"The perpetrators are often just ordinary people with a family and children," Beck-Friis explained. "Pets are most vulnerable. Dogs, and even cats, but also other animals like horses, cows and sheep."

He now demands that Sweden makes animal sex illegal, and he is not alone. The paper reported that along with the Sveriges Veterinärförbund, Lantbrukarnas riksförbund (Farmers' national organization), the Swedish Kennel Club Organization, Djurskyddet i Sverige (The Swedish animal protection organization) and Animal Rights Sweden want a law change.

According to Beck-Friis, the reason why the issue surface right now is because the number of assaults is increasing.

"It appears as if the assaults are becoming more common," Beck-Friis said. "We have noticed an increase ever since child pornography became illegal in 1996."

Sex with animals was decriminalized in 1944 when homosexual sex no longer became punishable by law.

The sexual assaults of animals have been received a lot of reactions lately, among others in the Swedish radio program Front a couple a weeks ago. A man called in to the program and defended animal sex.

"I have sex with horses and dogs too. It is not as complicated as having sex with people," the man stated.

The problem has even been discussed in the Swedish government. Gustav Fridolin, member of the Swedish environmental party, presented a motion to make animal sex illegal last year, but only six persons voted in favour of the bill.

"They are afraid of dictating sexual preferences," Beck-Friis said. "We firstly want a law against sexual assaults. When animals are hurt, we must react."