Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article argues for recognition of non‑human animals as legal persons and recipients of protection under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), proposing the extrapolation of national advances to an international sphere. It analyzes how the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights and theoretical debates on Animal Rights, as well as judicial decisions that have recognized animals as subjects of law. The paper contends that international protection for animals can follow a trajectory analogous to that of human protection, especially in the face of ecological crises that transcend national borders. It argues that legal effectiveness depends on favorable cultural and political transformations coupled with international and multicultural normative coordination against animal exploitation. Concludes that an expanded IHL could help reconfigure the relationship between humans and animals.
Author: Matias do Vale, Luan
Institution: Universidade de São Paulo
Language: English
Topic: Animal Law and Welfare
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7170042253