What is RA 10630 all about?

Republic Act No. 10630 or the Act Strengthening the Juvenile Justice System provided for the estab- lishment of an Intensive Juvenile Intervention and Support Center for children (IJISC) under the minimum age of criminal responsibility in “Bahay Pag-asa”.

What happens if a child commits a crime in the Philippines?

Children, some as young as five years old, are committing some of the most brazen crimes in the Philippines, from running drug dens to sexual assault. And many are getting off scot-free. Offenders aged below 15 are spared trial and jail in this country.

Who is a youthful offender in Philippines?

A youthful offender is a child, minor or youth, including one who is emancipated in accordance with law who is over nine years but under eighteen years of age at the time of the commission of the offense.

What is the minimum age of criminal responsibility in the Philippines?

The Philippines, in line with its international obligations to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, has already made tremendous progress in the realization of children’s rights by the passing of the JJWA in 2006 which raised the minimum age of criminal responsibility from nine to 15.

What is the minimum age of criminal responsibility under RA 10630?

15
Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility. – A child fifteen (15) years of age or under at the time of the commission of the offense shall be exempt from criminal liability.

What is the title of RA 10630?

R.A. 10630 (October 3, 2013): AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THE PHILIPPINES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9344, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “JUVENILE JUSTICE AND WELFARE ACT OF 2006” AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR. This Act strengthened the Juvenile Justice System in the Philippines.

What is the youngest age to go to jail in Philippines?

The current age at which children are held criminally liable in the Philippines is 15.

What law defines a youthful offender?

A youthful offender is defined as a person who is between the ages of 16 and 19 years of age (16,17,18 and not yet 19) at the time they commit a crime. The final youthful offender determination is not made until after there has been a conviction of a crime, either by plea or trial. …

What is the current juvenile justice law in the Philippines?

In November 2016, the juvenile justice law became a hot topic for debate when the Philippine Congress planned to propose a bill that would lower the age of criminal responsibility to nine from fifteen-years-old, which is the legal as documented in the current Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, otherwise known as the R.A. 9344.

Will lowering the criminal liability age in the Philippines make children criminals?

The lives of children behind bars in Bahay Pag-asa was painted a bleaker picture for the future once the Philippine Congress passed the proposed measure for the lowered criminal liability age. With this move, innocent children will be branded as full-pledged criminals.

Do children commit crimes in the Philippines?

While many children are reportedly committing crimes, a Philippine National Police Data revealed that the number of juvenile offences comprises 1.72 percent of the total reported crimes in the country that include theft, assault, municipal and city ordinance violations.

How many children are arrested in the Philippines every day?

More than 50,000 children have been arrested and detained in the Philippines since 1995. According to UNICEF, almost 28 children get arrested on a daily basis or more than one child per hour. But what’s really alarming about this situation is the fact that these minors are often detained in the same cells as adult offenders.