WITH more and more crimes being committed these days, the public will always seek justice. Sadly, justice may come in wrong and flawed forms.
Last Sept. 24, Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III filed a bill seeking to lower the age of criminal liability. According to journalist Paolo Romero, the lawmaker aims to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 due to the “alarming rise in the number of crimes involving minors.”
He filed Senate Bill 2026 seeking to amend Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, which exempts children aged 15 and below from criminal liability.
But the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) voices out an argument that firmly contradicts Sotto. “This is a giant leap backward. Based on its explanatory note, the bill argues that lowering the age of criminal responsibility will curb criminality and stop adults from using children. This is a flawed argument. Already disadvantaged, children exploited by adults should not be further penalized,” the Unicef said.
The children who are born into poverty are already at a disadvantage and are given no choice but to mimic and obey the adults for their own survival.
It’s also interesting to note journalist John Lash’s article in the Vancouver Sun on the position of Pakistan’s Interior Minister regarding the age of criminal responsibility. The minister said that the children in Pakistan grow up faster than children in other parts of the world, an argument raised in blocking efforts to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Pakistan from eight to 12.
It is true that with regards to psychology, we can never truly measure when a child is more developed than the rest of his or her peers. A child may be more developed in his way of thinking and may do more or act differently compared to other individuals of the same age.
Senator Sotto has a point: There is an alarming rise in the number of crimes involving minors. But Unicef also argues that these children are already in a disadvantageous situation, so why should we penalize them for being exploited and manipulated by the adults?
We should take a firm stand in saying no to the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility. Instead, our government agencies and law enforcers should make a concerted effort in finding the real criminals that are of age.