While lawyers think that the limit should be lowered to perhaps 12 years, there are also opinions that the current age line should not be touched.
While lawyers think that the limit should be lowered to perhaps 12 years, there are also opinions that the current age line should not be touched. Lawyer Miloš Stevanović says that the prevailing opinion among colleagues with whom he was in contact is that the limit should be lowered below 14 years, although this would result in complex changes to the criminal legislation in Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I think that, in connection with this, a large professional discussion should be conducted and that the limit should be lowered to maybe even, I would dare to say, 12 years, considering that children are aware of what they are doing. We need to find a social consensus here,” Stevanović said.
Gordana Rajić, the ombudsman for children of Republika Srpska, does not agree with such a proposal, who says that the problem is that we are still dealing with the consequences, not the cause.
“Punishing children will not solve the problem. In fact, the key is for us to change our attitude and approach towards children. We must set an example for them with our model of behavior,” said Rajić.
And Irena Joldžić, director of the Banjaluka Center for Social Work, also says that this institution believes that the age limit of criminal responsibility for minors should not be moved from 14 to 12 years. According to the law, the age limit of criminal responsibility for minors can be moved, but the question arises as to whether the purpose is being achieved.
“We believe that the goal is not to have as many criminally responsible minors as possible, but to work on prevention and education of children, parents and society as a whole in order to avoid negative phenomena in society,” says Joldžićeva, writes “Nezavisne novine”.
Adnan Delić, Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy, regarding the case in Lukavac, pointed out that social protection is sufficiently standardized, but that additional measures must be taken in order to have better results on the ground.
He adds that back in 2019, after the murder of Denis Mrnjavec in Sarajevo, the Center for Social Work, i.e. the Canton of Sarajevo, submitted a request to the Federal Ministry of Justice to recognize social workers as officials in the provisions of the Criminal Code, so that they could perform their duties unhindered and without fear their work, which according to the norms in the field of social protection is their responsibility.
“As I was informed, there was never an amendment to Article 1 of the Criminal Code and, here, something had to happen to bring it into our focus. I don’t know why it wasn’t done in 2019, but I know that I will immediately submit a request that this article of the Criminal Code be changed urgently,” Delić announced.
By the way, there are claims that the student, who is suspected of seriously injuring a teacher at “Lukavac Grad” Elementary School Nedimo Osmanović (38) on Wednesday, was transferred to Child Psychiatry in Sarajevo the same evening, because Tuzla does not have such a department.
The problem, it is claimed, arose when the boy was supposed to be placed in an educational center, for which the father’s consent was required, but the father did not give it.
The father of the minor was arrested. He was questioned at the Lukavac police station. There are claims that the gun with which the boy is suspected to have shot the teacher was actually registered to his late grandfather, but the father did not hand it over to the relevant police station. In any case, the shooting in Lukavac is another alarm, and the local Center for Social Work has also sounded the alarm.
“According to the Law on Social Protection, this is a case of a neglected child, given that he is a person under the age of 14. In accordance with the assessments of his health condition that are currently being made, an adequate institution for further care is being found and treatment,” said Amira Hodžić, director of the Center for Social Work in Lukavac.
The injured teacher was in the intensive care unit at UC Tuzla yesterday.
“He was taken off the respirator this morning, he is breathing on his own. That is the only news compared to yesterday. His condition may be stable at the moment, but he is in the intensive care unit with very serious injuries. We can only talk about his current condition,” Ersija Aščerić said yesterday , spokeswoman of UKC Tuzla.