Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has announced his support for lowering the age of criminal responsibility for "heinous" crimes from 18 to 16. This marks a reversal of his longstanding policy.
The announcement was made during a Thursday night interview with TV Globo, just over a week before the presidential runoff election. President Lula is seeking to overcome a first-round lead held by his opponent, far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Both Senator Bolsonaro and his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, have previously advocated for lowering the age of criminal responsibility, though they proposed a reduction to 14. President Lula and his party had consistently opposed such changes.
After recent opinion polls showed 80% public support for lowering the age, President Lula stated, "My view, as a Brazilian citizen, is that for any and every heinous crime, I am in favour of lowering the age." He confirmed this meant lowering it to 16 when asked by a reporter.
Human rights organisations and security experts have criticised proposals to lower the age of criminal responsibility. They argue such measures do little to address violence and could increase recruitment into organised crime within Brazil's prison system. The Episcopal Conference of Brazil also criticised the proposal on Thursday, stating it does not address the causes of violence and could deepen cycles of violence and exclusion for young people.