Animal labour in a multispecies society: a social justice issue?

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May 1st is traditionally a day of remembrance for labour-related struggles. This year, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the work of animals and overcome the assumption that labour is a uniquely human affair. From foraging bees to police dogs to equine therapists, the contributions of animals through their labour to the life, wealth, and welfare of the multispecies society are manifold.

The objective of this roundtable is to generate a meaningful discussion among the speakers to increase the visibility of the multi-sectoral implications of animal labour and encourage further research on this topic and its inclusion in the law. In particular, we aim to draw attention to the condition of domesticated animals working in the human-animal society and the challenges posed by their legal, social and political status. Labour can be a genuine site of interspecies cooperation and flourishing, yet this can be a site of extreme instrumentalisation and exploitation, too. We hope to highlight the convergence of human and animal interests in calling for the recognition of other animals as workers towards their better protection in the workplace.

Five Animal Law and Animal Labour experts will be sharing their views on the key issues for discussion, moderated by the Junior Fellows of the Think Tank on Animals & Biodiversity. The round table is scheduled to last about 1 hour and a half, including an opportunity for participants to ask questions directly to the speakers following the discussion.

Free tickets for the Zoom event will be available for a limited number of participants, while the public will be able to follow the event on the Global Research Network’s YouTube channel.

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