This is my first petition! PLEASE SHARE! Contact me on ellengaardr@gmail.com if you know of any people I can reach from Facebook who can make this happen!

Graphic videos, pictures, and encouragement for animal abuse is rapidly shared around Facebook. It pops up on everyone's newsfeed.

Facebook is a place for everyone, young and old, but sharing/seeing stuff like this is traumatising and horrifying to any sane person who uses the site. Children from the age of 13 are seeing this on their iPads, mobile phones, and computers.

It's illegal, sickening and disturbing.

Whenever this pops up on my newsfeed, I take it to the "report" section on Facebook. 

Firstly, there is no tab that can report cruelty against animals. This means I will have to use other tabs to make sure it gets to the Facebook terminal.

Secondly, when I've chosen the closest alternative which is "graphic violence", it gets sent to the terminal, evaluated, and the response I get?
It doesn't violate Facebook's "Community standards".

There is without a doubt a huge problem with this response! It violates the law in most countries, and graphic videos of humans being treated the same are usually taken down and evaluated seriously. There is an up and going program against any form of abuse and neglect, including murder of any person being shared around. It is immediately taken down to even joke about harming another person.

This is a development we want to see. No videos/posts or images of human violence/threats of violence should be viewed and shared

But why does this not affect animal cruelty the same way?

Was this just forgotten? Are people okay with this?
The answer is no. It is not okay to be viewing this.

My wish is that Facebook will take action. Take animal cruelty seriously!

Let us report if it ever pops up and evaluate it thoroughly instead of pushing it away and letting it happen. Because that is happening right now. 

Thirdly, the right, legal and ethic conclusion to take is to further look into the case, contact whoever posted it, and report it to the police. Since Facebook has the upper hand in what gets posted, shared around, and can open closed/fake profiles, it is extremely important that such a program is started immediately.

This change, if heard, signed and forwarded, will make the life of the average Facebook user (remember over a billion people are using Facebook) much easier, safer, and they will feel like they are being heard.

Animal abuse is never okay, and it is of utmost importance that this change will be made.

//Written by a 17-year old from Norway who is disgusted with how easily animal abuse goes over Facebook's heads.