In her roles as both an actor and activist, Sania Saeed has consistently voiced her concerns about injustices affecting both humans and animals. Recently, Pakistan has seen a rise in cases of animal violence, often involving young children torturing animals on the streets. Addressing this pressing issue as a guest on The MM Show, Saeed emphasized the pivotal role of parents in teaching kindness to their children through interactions with animals.
Saeed remarked, “We don’t realize but the way we talk to children, we pass on these irrational fears about animals. They’ve subconsciously learnt from your behavior that animals are something to be scared of or that they are dirty. There are so many prejudices we get from history.” She stressed the importance of parents modeling compassionate behavior towards animals to instill empathy in their children.
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Highlighting the responsibility of looking after animals, Saeed noted that Pakistan is not 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 shown towards children in Pakistani society, noting that their wishes and opinions are often ignored, paralleling the treatment of animals. 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.”
Her insights highlight the interconnectedness of human and animal welfare, advocating for a cultural shift towards greater empathy and kindness.
