Call to raise minimum prosecution age to 12
15/01/2012
Justice Minister Pracha Promnok will be asked to consider raising the minimum age at which a child can be prosecuted from 10 to 12 years old.
The move, which would require an amendment to the law, follows a recommendation by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, said Tawatchai Thaikhiew, director-general of the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department. Mr Tawatchai said he would ask Pol Gen Pracha to consider changing the minimum age on Jan 26.
According to the department, the number of children allegedly involved in drug offences accounted for 33.25% of all drug crimes last year, up from 21% in 2010.
Children in the three insurgency-torn southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are more prone to be lured by drugs than those in other regions, Mr Tawatchai said.
He said they usually take the so-called "4x100 formula", a cocktail made up of kratom leaves and cough syrup. It is a popular mixture among drug addicts in the far South.
The department is currently conducting a study to determine what makes children fall into crime and find a solution to reverse the trend, he said.
"The ratio of young wrongdoers from stable and broken families is fairly equal," Mr Tawatchai said.
Many affluent parents do not raise their children properly, failing to keep them in line while many children from broken homes seek affection and warmth elsewhere, he said.
bangkokpost.com
See Also : TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum Thailands Child Protection Act
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