The Spanish government has presented a draft proposal that would prevent children and teenagers from attending or taking part in bullfights and other events involving violence towards animals.
It is part of the law introduced by the Ministry of Youth and Childhood led by Minister Sira Rego – and is intended to form part of a wider overhaul of the Organic Law on Comprehensive Protection of Children and Adolescents Against Violence (LOPIVI).
The proposal responds to long-standing concerns about the possible psychological effects such spectacles may have on minors.
If approved, the measure would ban anyone under 18 from both watching and participating in events where animals are subjected to violence
While bullfighting is explicitly included, the restriction could also apply to other activities centred on animal harm, although the government has yet to specify the full scope of events that would fall under the ban.
The proposal aims to implement a recommendation issued in 2018 by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, which urged Spain to bar minors from bullfights and similar events in order to shield them from exposure to violence.
Spanish ministers have reiterated this commitment during recent international evaluations, underlining that the planned reform aligns with global child-protection standards.
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Concluye el VII Examen del Comité de Derechos del Niño a España. La ministra de Juventud e Infancia, Sira Rego, que ha liderado la delegación española, ha expuesto los avances en España en el cumplimiento de la Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño. pic.twitter.com/PxNU77lrVY
— Ministerio de Juventud e Infancia (@JuventudInfGob) January 22, 2026
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