“Anyone under 18 is free to commit murder”
The controversial proposal by Surquillo mayor Gustavo Sierra to punish the parents of children involved in gang activity has met with the approval of Virginia Borra, Minister for Woman and Social Development.
“We need some legal mechanism to stop this. We either have to establish an age limit for punishing minors, at 16, say, or we have to punish their parents who fail to bring them up well and protect them from [gangs],” she said on Saturday.
She added that the Cabinet is evaluating a proposal to reduce the age limit for punishing young people who commit offences, from 18 to 16. “We have yet to reach a decision, but we have discussed the issue and evaluated possibilities,” she said in an interview with RPP radio.
She pointed out that a boy of 17 years and 10 months should not be free to commit murder, as is currently the case. “Someone has to be made responsible for these acts,” she stressed.
Filed under: Crime, Dangers, Opinion, People, Politics, Travel, Violence |
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