Scotland not meeting UN standards on children’s rights
Those under the age of 12 years old will no longer be held criminally responsible for their actions in Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament voted to raise the age of criminal responsibility on Tuesday 7 May.
Scotland had the lowest age of criminal responsibility in Europe at 8 years old, it is 10 in England and Wales.
Throughout the debate there have been calls to see the age rise to 14 or 16.
Across Europe the law varies with many countries not meeting the minimum United Nations requirement of 12.
There is no statutory age of criminal responsibility in France however children are considered to have the necessary level of “discernment” between 8 and 10 years old. Those aged between 13 and 18 can be criminally sentenced, including prison time.
In Portugal the age is 15.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child “commends states that have a higher minimum age, for instance 15 or 16 years of age.
Slovakia has the highest age at 18 years old.
Slovakia raised it from 15 to 18 in 2014.
In Greece, children under 13 years old cannot be held criminally liable. Children under 15 years old who commit a criminal act may only be subject to reformatory or therapeutic measures, and those under 18 can be given penalties that include deprivation of liberty orders.
Our map below has all of the ages throughout the continent.
[googlemaps https://www.google.co.uk/maps/d/embed?mid=1hN8JQLeMW6e4q6P4yp1e002w89ykOG8c&w=640&h=480]
