Reduction of the age of criminal responsibility in the UN

Organizations criticize bill pending in Congress and request support from international community

The Constitutional Amendment Proposal 171/1993, which reduces the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16, was condemned today, June 25, by three Brazilian human rights networks at the 29th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

In an oral statement, the Criminal Justice Network, of which Conectas is part, Renade (National Defense Network for Young Offenders) and Anced (National Association of Centers for the Defense of Children and Adolescents) emphasized that the bill represents a “serious setback” for the country and criminalizes one of the “most vulnerable groups” of Brazilian society.

“In a country with a history of social inequality and deprivation of rights, these proposals will only serve to increase the existing degree of rights violations,” said Paulo Lugon, who represented the organizations in Geneva.

Click here to read the statement in full.

On June 17, a Special Commission of the Lower House of Congress approved the text, which is expected to be voted in the next few days in a full session of the house. If approved in two rounds by a qualified majority (more than 60%), the bill will proceed to the Senate.

In the statement, the organizations stressed the inconsistency of the proposal with international rules and recommendations. “Any reform of the age of criminal responsibility would run counter to a recommendation made by the UN itself, which considers the proposal a threat to the rights of children and adolescents, and it would also run counter to global trends in the management of juvenile justice,” said the organizations.

They also urged the Council and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to speak out against the proposal and for their member states to include the topic in their communications with Brazil.

Also at the UN level, a letter signed by 92 Brazilian organizations was delivered to the delegations of the 150 member and observer states that form the Council. The letter asks them to mention in their statements at the session the risk of Brazil suffering a setback in the field of children’s rights.

Of 54 countries studied by Unicef (United Nation Children’s Fund), 78% set the age of criminal responsibility at 18 or older. These include France, Spain, Switzerland, Norway and Uruguay.

Click here to read the letter sent to the delegations.

Watch the statement in full (in 13th place):