MANILA, Philippines - The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) has joined the opposition to a proposed law lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to nine.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the group assailed the factual basis of the House bills that seek to amend Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.
“Government must dig deep into the roots why children are in conflict with the law rather than pursue a punitive measure that will only exacerbate the already poor conditions of children,” the NCCP stressed.
It said the bill proponents – including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez – failed to consider that serious criminality in children is rooted in adult, mostly parental violence and neglect that are compounded by poverty and government’s failure to fulfill obligation to support parents in their child care responsibilities and provide children with rights-based education.
The NCCP argued that the proposed measure would be counterproductive, citing studies that show the stigma attached to a child labeled as “deviant, delinquent or pre-delinquent” often results in a consistent pattern of undesirable behavior by young people, thus compromising public safety.
It also warned of incidents of torture, physical, emotional and sexual abuses on detained children as documented in some studies.
Instead of lowering criminal liability, the NCCP suggested that the government address concerns of children in conflict with the law.
“Children in conflict with the law must be seen not in isolation with the context from which they come from. Most of our children are into the deep of poverty pushing them to do things that are detrimental to themselves, to their families, their communities and the society,” the group pointed out.
“Unless children are provided with food on the table, a secure and reliable job and decent pay for their parents, shelter, and access to education and health services, the number of children in conflict with the law will continue to rise,” the NCCP added.