Together with leading Swedish child rights and civil society organizations. The article urges the Swedish government to reconsider proposals to lower the age of criminal responsibility for children.

Lowering the age of criminal responsibility risks shifting focus away from addressing the root causes of children’s involvement in crime, such as social vulnerability, exclusion, and lack of protective support systems. Civil society organizations warn that punitive approaches toward children can lead to long-term negative consequences, both for individual children and for society as a whole.

This engagement closely relates to the HRJust project’s core mission: examining how states justify policies affecting children in relation to human rights standards, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). By contributing to public discussion on child justice policies, HRJust supports evidence-based dialogue and promotes approaches that uphold children’s rights while addressing societal concerns about safety and crime.

The appeal is signed alongside representatives from BRIS, Barnrättsbyrån, UNICEF Sweden, Vision, Rädda Barnen, Föreningen Sveriges socialchefer, Akademikerförbundet SSR, and Södertörn University, among others. The organizations collectively stress that responses to youth crime must safeguard children’s rights and focus on prevention, protection, and social support rather than increased criminalization of children.

The full article can be read on Altinget.