Anne Curtis. INQUIRER FILE
MANILA, Philippines — Instead of lowering the age of criminal responsibility, actress Anne Curtis said there must be full implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA).
Curtis, a United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador, spoke against the proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility which is up for debate in the Senate.
“As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador it is my duty to raise awareness and lend my voice to support the call of the Council for the Welfare of Children, civil society organizations, professional associations, child protection experts, well-meaning citizens, parents and the youth,” Curtis wrote Wednesday in an Instagram post.
“I stand with them for NOT lowering the criminal age of responsibility but instead supporting the full implementation of the current law of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act,” she added.
The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act sets the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 15.
Proponents of the bill lowering to 12 the age of criminal responsibility said they aimed to stop criminal syndicates from using children and save the youth from a life of crime.
READ: Duterte: It’s OK if 12 is age of criminal responsibility
Curtis said that children in conflict with the law were still young and capable of change. She said they should be given proper rehabilitation instead of penalizing them.
“I understand that there are those who see differently but if you could only try and discern that they are STILL CHILDREN, are victims of their circumstance and are still young enough to change their ways,” she said.
“Instead of being penalized, they should have access to proper rehabilitation – where they can be properly cared for to understand what they may have done wrong, learn to change their ways and be given a second chance at life,” she added.
Furthermore, Curtis said the proper implementation of the JJWA has proven to have many success stories, adding “It cannot fail IF IT IS FULLY IMPLEMENTED.”
This is not the first time Curtis spoke against the issue and called on the government to reassess the proposal. (Editor: Cenon B. Bibe Jr.)
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