IUSY is alarmed with the Philippine government’s latest plan to make nine to twelve year old children criminally liable. This move adds to the government’s long list of policies that turn on the most vulnerable members of society, including a killing spree that has targeted the poor.

Jailing children never made a community safe. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has pushed for the bill in several of his speeches, claiming that criminal syndicates have used children as pawns in their crimes. IUSY believes that this bill punishes children who are already victimized by poor circumstances. The police even admitted that most children in conflict with the law come from poor families!

The Philippine government is eroding its own credibility in the international community by violating treaties it signed to protect children. Nine or twelve years old children are too young to jail.

The bill, which is widely supported by allies of President Duterte, is being deliberated in the Senate and the House of Representatives making it likely to be passed into law soon. We join youth and children’s organizations in the Philippines in calling for the legislature to reject the bill lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility. We call on the international community to urge the Philippine government to stay true to their international obligations and drop the dangerous bill. #JailNoChildren #Not9Not12