Being an island we often try to reinvent the wheel in Australia instead of looking to what has worked effectively elsewhere. So what is happening globally in regards to criminal responsibility?
#RaiseTheAge
The Beijing Rules clearly explain that any minimum age of criminal responsibility “shall not be fixed at too low an age level, bearing in mind the facts of emotional, mental and intellectual maturity”.
The UN is often misrepresented in their advocacy for the age of criminal responsibility to be raised to 12, when they also strongly recommend the most suitable age is 14-16, which is consistent the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
#HumanRightsForAll
What is the minimum age of criminal responsibility around the world?
It’s 15 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
It’s 16 in Poland, Chile, Portugal and Spain. I am seeing a pattern here and I call on the Victorian Government to lead the way and set precedent to protect our children from further trauma and recidivism. #RaiseTheAge #14reasons
Those countries have seen notable improvements in outcomes for diversion programs. Australia’s recidivism is almost double those countries who have an age of criminal responsibility of 15 years or older.
It’s time to make a change for our kids and community.
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