Education on animal protection will be mandatory in Colombian schools
New legislation dubbed the "Empathy Law" will make animal welfare compulsory on the country's educational curriculum.
Animal protection will be mandatory in the educational system of Colombia due to a new law known as the “Empathy Law” (Ley Empatía), which will make education on protecting animals part of the school curriculum in the country.
The Colombian Congress passed the legislation, known formally as Law 010 of 2024, on 30th October 2025.
Led by Green Alliance Senator Andrea Padilla, the initiative will be rolled out in both private and public schools across the nation.
Rather than creating a new subject, the program will enrich the existing curriculum. Empathy toward animals will be integrated into the established environmental frameworks School Environmental Projects (PRAES), the Citizen Environmental Education Projects (PROCEDAS), and the Inter-Institutional Environmental Education Committees (CIDEAS).
The new initiative will entail education around ethical animal guardianship, biodiversity conservation, prevention of cruelty, and recognition of animal sentience.
For their social service, secondary-school students will be able to carry out tasks at animal shelters and other organizations that work with animal protection.
The program will also foster a national network of teachers to further animal protection education through the sharing of resources and methodologies. This network will collaborate with environmental organizations across the country to promote learning around sustainability and ethics.
Senator Padilla, known for her advocacy for animals, says: “Educating saves lives, educating changes the world and that is what you are doing today with the vote on this bill that is now law, the Empathy Law. It could not have a more beautiful name, because what we are looking for is that children, boys, girls, adolescents become empathetic human beings, empathetic, fair, compassionate citizens with all forms of life.”
Prior to working on this legislation, Senator Padilla helped pass Colombia's historic Ángel Law, which strengthened punishments for animal abusers and focused on pedagogical work to prevent new cases of animal abuse.
The country's Ministry of Education has six months to define guidelines for the national curriculum, focusing on ethics, prevention of animal abuse and coexisting with other species in a harmonious manner.
In the long run, supporters of the law hope that this legislation will see a drop in Colombia's animal abuse and abandonment rates, strengthen its nature conservation, and bring communities closer to nature. It could also encourage a more responsible approach to animal guardianship, which could help reduce the country's animal homelessness crisis.
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