An organization composed of former female gangs in Davao City backed the petition of Child Rights Network and Philippine Action for Youth Offenders (PAYO) against the amendment of Republic Act 10630 or the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act of 2006.
The online petition pushed by child rights advocates Nakamata was made to pressure Congress to withdraw the bill that seeks to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 years old to nine years old.
As of this writing the petition already gathered 33,981 signatures, a few signatures away from its target of 35,000.
Nakamata has been conducting awareness among teenagers in the city about the corresponding threats this bill may cause since October last year.
“What we did before, we conducted awareness raising with the children in the community and we asked for their support, we asked for their signs if they are also against it (MACR),” said children rights advocate, Neem Cahoy.
Last October, Nakamata also created a petition within the community that reached 30 signatures. The group, together with other children advocates, in the city will plan their mobilization strategies for the withdrawal of the bill.
