Introduction

Lowering the age of criminal liablity is an act of violence against

children. Who are exploit and driven by adults to commit crimes need to

be protected, not further penalized. They should be given a second chance

to reform and to rehabilitate (UNICEF, nd).

Lowering the age of criminal liablity is a move that runs squarely

against the obligation to protect the welfare of children (Toma Cruz,

2019).

To hold a child criminally responsible for such is to put the entire

life community’s problems on the childs shoulder’s. Unlike the adults,

children are less able to consider and understand the long term

consequences of their action. “these abilities wich are involved in

criminal behaviour, do not fully form until young adulthood, making young

people especially vulnerable to engaging in risky behaviour” (philippine

pediatric society, nd).

Body

Children may know right from wrong, but they are unable to fully

understand the consequences of their actions. “discernment between right

and wrong requires intellectual , emotional and physchological maturity.

Younger children, therefore, need protection from the law and should be

held criminally responsible for their actions” (philippine pediatric

society, nd).

As a young people, children are also vulnerable to coercion because

they do not have full control over their freedom and decisions, so this

is where adults and criminal gangs come in using children for crimes ,

adults will not stop from using the children to commit crimes. Because

criminals will eventually adapt and use different strategy, so adults

should be punished not the children , who are mere victims, lowering the

age criminal liablity will put more children at risk of violence.

Children in their formative yeas are easily influenced by their

soroundings. Being arrested and accused of commiting a crime can

detrimental to their development. A more systematic process should be done

first instead of sending them to jail or bringing them directly to social

welfare groups. When jailed with adults, children in regular detention

center may be exposed to criminal networks. This could lead to an increased

risk of being used for cri minal activities at a phase when they are supposed

to be rehabilitated and when he or she comes out, she will have had a network

of criminals that can assist him or her later on. We all know that in the

philippines the problems of poverty remain unsolved, wich is one reason

why crimes are being commited. The aim of our government should be create

a progressive system that help children transform their liives for better,

instead of locking them up inside a jail.

According to Philippine National Police children commit only 1.72%

of total crimes in the philippines. Most are pretty crimes like theft which

is often linked to poverty so lowering the age of criminal liablity will

not result in lower crime rate.

And it also compromises completion of formal eduaction and

opportunities to obtain vocational skils, and it exposes children to higher

risk of stigmatization as criminals and to neglect and social exclusion.

Children should be living their lives exercising their rights to freedom,

education and happiness under the care of their parents. By penalizing

children who have been exploited by criminal syndicates innstead of adults

who abused them, we are not upholding the rights and well-being of the

children. If we do not understand the reasons for their crimes, we will

fail to come to their aid.

 Punishing and jailing children involved in crime would only condemn

and damage them for life (UNICEF,nd).

Conclusion

Lowering the minimum age of criminal liability in the philippines will

be a shortsighted solution that mostly affect the poor childrens. We must

not ignore those scientific evidence that shows criminalizing children

does not solve the problem of children committing crimes.

Childrens are not little adults, because childrens should not be held

to the same standard as adults. Too young to vote, get married, and to

have a driver’s license but not too young to be charged for a crime and

be held in jails?

Do we criminalize and punish children just because we have failed our

duty or responsibility to fully implement the law?

 The government should punish the crime syndicates who take advantage

of innocents childdren, not the children who need to be rescued , supported

and rehabilitated.

Life is hard enough and espicially we are talking about children within

9-15 years of age they are still fiiguring how the world works in wich

that itself is hard enough. They are still figuring out where they belong

to the society and were judging them for that.

Children should not be treated the same way as adults, because if we

imprison children, they will be labelled as criminals from a young age

by our society , we are robbing their chance in our society. They are our

hope not our enemy. Instead of tackling the fruit, why not uplift the roots?