The forum is a HUMANE EDUCATION initiative of the Society for the Welfare of Animals Protection (SWAP). Humane education is so important because, “it provides an opportunity for children and adults alike to develop a sense of awe and responsibility for the natural world, their environment and for the animals that share it.”(WSPA). It recognizes the interdependence of all living things.

Some people think that when young people abuse animals, this is just a phase they go through. However, young people who are violent to animals rarely stop there. Violent acts towards animals have long been recognized as indicators of a dangerous psychopathic tendency. For example, Albert De Salvo, the notorious Boston Strangler, trapped dogs and cats, and shot arrows through the boxes in which they were confined (Fucini, 1978).

Animal abuse does not occur in isolation; rather, it takes place in a complex net of disturbed family relations. For example, animal abuse is frequently found in homes where child abuse and domestic violence are also present. In one national survey of American women seeking shelter from domestic violence in safe houses, 85% of the women with companion animals reported that their abusers had also hurt or threatened the family pet (Ascione, F. R. 1997). Children in such disturbed families, who witness domestic violence or are victims themselves, are more likely to become animal abusers, imitating the violence they have seen or experienced. A study conducted in 1995 (Ascione, F. R. 1995) noted that 32% of the pet-owning victims of domestic abuse reported that one or more of their children had hurt or killed a pet.

Teaching students to have empathy for other beings is essential to raising kind, compassionate citizens. Humane education is needed to develop an enlightened society that has empathy and respect for life, thus breaking the cycle of abuse. (Copied from the WSPA Member Society Manual).

Simply put, SWAP's Students Compassion Forum could be referred to as a social cause because it will on the long run train young people to be more compassionate in their dealings with people in future. The following statement further buttresses this point.