Psychologists warn vs tagging children as criminals

CHILDREN in conflict with the law cannot be treated as criminals, a nationwide group of Filipino psychologists said, as a proposed legislation seeks to lower the age of criminal responsibility

from 15 years old to nine. In a position paper released Wednesday, the Psychological Association of the Philippines warned against the dangers of House Bill 002, which is among the priority legislative proposals of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s allies in Congress. The psychologists explained that the profile of children in conflict with the law often shows they are victims of abuse or neglect and are being raised in crime-ridden environments, making criminal responsibility an unfair burden to them. “To place such a young person, already victimized, into the hands of the criminal justice system further curtails his or her future prospects,” the four-page position paper read. —