Universities like YALE have done studies about this subject and brought some disturbing truths in the light, which clearly show serious consequences for our society. According to these studies, animal abuse, child abuse as well as other forms of violence in the society is inextricably linked. Children who are cruel to animals are often, themselves, the victims of abuse. Unable to strike back at their adult abusers, the children vent their rage and need for control on beings that are smaller and weaker. A large percentage of violent criminals begin by abusing animals as children. When society's responses are: "boys will be boys!," "it's only an animal!," or "they'll grow out of it!", neither the children nor the animals are helped and as soon as they are old enough, they direct their violence to people.

Animal abuse may be the first clue in identifying a future rapist or killer. The human-animal violence link has increasingly led police and child welfare authorities in the U.S. to cooperate and is now saving lives. In Atlanta, when a law school graduate, frustrated at not finding a job, began to mutilate cats and kittens, animal welfare authority's notified police. The police obtained a warrant to search his apartment, where they found photos of six women in his apartment complex that he had been stalking, along with the detailed plans to execute the same on the innocent women. Those women are alive today because the police understood that violence is violence, no matter who the victim is and they took the animal abuse very seriously.

I would like to reiterate that we have no right to abuse and kill reptiles- snakes, pythons, and alligators for our narcissistic approach towards an avertible fashion statement. We should now think before using leather clothes and accessories. Rather than destroying our heritage by designing a simple purse, shoes jacket and write the future of our coming generations with permanent black dye that will take years and years to fade with a long lasting impact; we should guide it to the path of sustainability. Studies have also shown that humane education helps children develop empathy, respect, and compassion for animals-which later metamorphose into humane attitude towards people. Whether or not we like animals, if we want to live in a healthy and non-violent society, one of the most important things we can do is to respect animals and to teach young people to respect them. Fostering positive attitude and kind behavior towards animals contribute to the development of a benevolent humane society and an improved quality of life for all living beings.

Not only the leather industry but the textile industry is also causing damage to the environment. Textile industry uses more water than any other industry with the exception of agriculture industry. At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw material into textiles. Also, 25% of the world's pesticides are used to grow non-organic cotton. This causes irreversible damage to people and the environment and still two-thirds of a garments carbon footprint occurs after it is purchased.

That's why the substantial commitment towards making sustainability a trend is imperative.

We need to awaken and encourage each other towards the use of sustainable materials and methods. Sustainability can be put into style and together, we all can make a BIG difference.

About the Author

Here 'I' refers to author's personal views

2009: Sherry Batra

The author is associated with an NGO: "VOICE FOR EARTH"