Amnesty International Philippines on Tuesday said lowering the minimum age for criminal responsibility is not the solution in reducing juvenile crime.
The group condemned Monday’s shooting at a Tacloban City school that killed three people.
“This tragedy must not be exploited to revive failed and dangerous proposals to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility or further weaken the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act. Such knee-jerk reactions fail to address the root causes of harm and places more children at risk. The Juvenile Justice law exists because children must be treated differently from adults in ways that prioritize rehabilitation and accountability appropriate to their age,” Amnesty International section director Ritz Lee Santos said in a statement.
“Contrary to false claims, children in conflict with the law are still held accountable for unlawful acts under the Juvenile Justice Act based on the Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC) framework, which is not the same punishment given to adult suspects or accuse and People Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) in an adult criminal system. Exposing children to harsher punishment does not prevent them from committing crimes but it can only further harm and increase the likelihood of reoffending. Thus, lowering the age of criminal responsibility does not address the vulnerability of children to violence, nor will it prevent guns or knives from ending up in the hands of minors. When governments respond to social harm only through punishment, only the poor and vulnerable children are affected in most cases,” they added.
The human rights organization called on members of the 20th Congress to reject renewed attempts at lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility and instead invest in evidence-based measures that protect children and communities.
“The pursuit of justice for the victims of the Tacloban school shooting must never come at the expense of children’s rights. In moments of grief and public outrage, the government must resist punitive responses that have repeatedly proven ineffective and instead uphold its mandate to protect every child while ensuring accountability by upholding human rights standards,” they said.
