SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 84
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That approach has led to the increasing severity of criminal penalties, the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility and criminalization of the lower levels of illegal organizations, where the involvement of marginalized children and teenagers is concentrated. Young offenders tend to be incarcerated in overcrowded detention centres, at times together with adults, risking engagement with criminal gangs which control their communities beyond the prison walls. Rather than enhancing prevention, this leads to greater violence.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children