In a significant policy shift, Sweden’s government announced on Thursday the withdrawal of its contentious proposal to reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 years.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer expressed that the new plan is to set the age at 14, reflecting insufficient parliamentary backing for the initial proposal and aligning with U.N. recommendations.
The decision comes in response to Sweden’s rising gang-related incidents, marking the country among Europe’s leaders in shootings. Despite strengthened policing and sentencing reforms, the challenge of juvenile gang recruitment persists.
(With inputs from agencies.)