Former Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed has said today that lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility is not the solution to the issues currently being faced.
Former Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed has said today that lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility is not the solution to the issues currently being faced.
Following the surfacing of footage showing the bullying and violence of a child in Alif Alif Atoll Rasdhoo by other children, the government has announced that it has made a decision to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 years.
Earlier today, Prosecutor General (PG) Hussain Shameem said that everywhere in the world, children who commit crimes are given rehabilitative treatment, adding that sentencing every child who commits an offence to prison would only result in creating a generation of criminals.
Reposting a Mihaaru article covering the PG's remarks, Hameed himself shared his views on the matter.
Fully agree. I think the solution isn’t in lowering the age for criminal liability. Rather, an integrated cross governmental approach to tackle juvenile delinquency with early and better interventions should be the way ahead. We lack in the holistic approach towards many aspects… https://t.co/472urpaRIy
— Mohamed Hameed (@M_Hameedh) April 7, 2024
He stated that instead of lowering the age for criminal responsibility, the focus should be on establishing 'an integrated, cross-governmental approach to tackle juvenile delinquency' with swifter and more effective interventions.
Hameed noted that at present, the State does not have the optimal approach towards addressing the issue.
Meanwhile, the PG has earlier said that instead of strict punishment and through such actions, driving children into a life of crime, what children who offend need is rehabilitation and advice so that their young minds will understand and get encouragement to move away from crimes committed at younger ages.
As per the Juvenile Justice Act passed in 2019, children must take responsibility for criminal acts beyond the age of 15. Prior to the ratification of this Act, the law was that beyond the age of 10, children must be held responsible for crimes that carry a 'Hadd' penalty in Islamic Shariah, and that they must bear responsibility for all other crimes as well beyond the age of 13.
The government announced last night that they intended to revise the laws so that the minimum age of criminal responsibility is defined as 12 years.
Speaking at last night's press conference from the Special Task Force Against Bullying, Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan, citing Department of Juvenile Justice records, stated that approximately 200 children are at risk of crimes. Most of these children, he added, are between the ages of 12 to 14.
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