In a shocking incident that has left many reeling in disbelief, a man in Sindh brutally chopped off a camel’s leg for the apparently unforgivable crime of grazing in his field. The sheer callousness of this act has sparked outrage as the heart-wrenching shrieks (captured on a video that has gone viral on social media) demand humanity to take a deeper look within and wonder whether they deserve to be celebrated as a superior race. It is a grim reminder of the depths to which human cruelty can sink; serving as a wake-up call for society to take a stand against such heinous acts of violence. From dogs being thrown off roofs to back-breaking burdens on donkeys to bloody cockfighting, there’s no shortage of chilling incidents, demanding a new narrative rooted in compassion and justice. By holding perpetrators accountable for their actions, we can send a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated in our society. But simply unleashing the wrath of the law upon a handful of highlighted cases won’t magically establish empathy. Educating the public about the inherent worth and dignity of all living beings remains the only way to help prevent future acts of cruelty. Pakistan’s image in the international community suffers tremendously due to minimal human rights protection in the country as laws against animal cruelty are also not adequately enforced. It should be remembered that the rise in cases of animal cruelty is not troubling because of the but a gross indication of a larger societal problem. The abuse of both children and animals is connected to a self-perpetuating cycle of violence. The correlation between animal cruelty and societal violence underscores the urgent need for us to address the root causes of aggression and cruelty in our communities. As lamented by a recent report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, there has been a concerning uptick in street crimes and kidnappings in Karachi. While the deteriorating law and order situation does fall on the shoulders of law enforcement authorities, the prevailing culture of violence and cruelty also is to be blamed. When episodes of sheer brutality against the voiceless go unnoticed, the abusers feel empowered to up the scale of their crimes. *