MAJORITY of Filipinos believe that children aged 15 years and above who are into rape, murder and drugs should be held liable, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Tuesday to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
The SWS survey was conducted from July 13 to 16 on 300 respondents aged 18 years old and above in Metro Manila and December 18 to 22, 2018 on 1,200 respondents of the same age in Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The survey said that of the 63 percent who agreed that minors should be jailed for rape, 32 percent said that only those who were 15 years old and above should be held liable for the crime.
About 30 percent of the 59 percent said that only minors aged 15 years old and above who killed someone should be jailed.
About 25 percent of the 49 percent who agreed to jail minors acting as drug couriers said that children aged 15 and below should not be held liable for crime.
Twenty-eight percent and eight percent of minors who were arrested for snatching phones and stealing food should likewise be held liable, said the survey that had a ±6 margin of error.
Applying census weights, 14 percent of the adults were from Metro Manila, 45 percent from Luzon, 19 percent from Visayas, and 19 percent from Mindanao excluding the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and 3 percent from ARMM.
The distribution by socio-economic class was 3 percent for classes ABC, 85 percent for class D, and 12 percent for class E.
Male and female adult respondents were alternately sampled, hence the 1:1 ratio.
Majority of those who disagreed that minors should be jailed for any of the crimes mentioned recommended putting them under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“For those who say that minors should not be jailed, 73 percent agree that children who commit offenses should be placed under DSWD custody,” SWS President Dr. Mahar Mangahas said.
According to CHR Commissioner Karen Gomez-Dumpit, the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) was enacted to ensure that children who committed crimes were guided through diversion programs.
“It takes a village to raise a child. The Commission will be coordinating with our partners both in government and civil society,” Dumpit said.
J. MOYA, TMT