(TBMM) - AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Leyla Şahin Usta and TBMM Research Commission on Children Driven to Crime Müşerref Pervin Tuba Durgut visited the CHP Group Presidency regarding the bill regarding children dragged into crime. CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir stated that there were no preventive and supportive measures in the proposal and criticized the wide discretionary power given to judges. Usta said that in the meetings with political parties, the views that the best interests of children should be protected through protective and preventive measures came to the fore.

AK Party Group Deputy Chairman Leyla Şahin Usta and the Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Investigation Commission on Children Driven to Crime and AK Party Istanbul Deputy Müşerref Pervin Tuba Durgut visited the CHP Group Presidency after the bill containing the regulations regarding children dragged into crime was presented to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.

CHP Group Deputy Chairman Murat Emir, in his statement after the half-hour visit, stated that they found it valuable to come to them after the bill was presented to the Parliament. Stating that the commission report on children dragged into crime has not yet been discussed, evaluated and voted on in the General Assembly, Emir evaluated the preparation of the proposal before the report is finalized and the discussions on the report are completed as a "major deficiency".

Emir stated that the crime rate in children should be reduced, children who fall into the hands of gangs should be rescued, and factors such as families pushing children to crime, disengagement from education, poverty, violence in the streets and schools should be ended, and said that the proposal for such a problem was brought with "hasty preparation" and was incomplete.

Stating that the proposal is a regulation that focuses on execution and increases penalties, Emir stated that judges are given wide discretionary power in certain types of crimes and that the criteria for this authority are not clearly stated.

Emir said, "If we have to make a general evaluation of the law, we are faced with a proposal that focuses on execution, increases penalties, gives wide discretion to judges, especially in certain types of crimes, does not clearly reveal the criteria by which this wide discretion is tied, and falls into the shallowness of 'if we increase the penalties, we will reduce crime'. There is no preventiveness. There is no supportiveness. There are almost no measures to eliminate the reasons that push children to crime."

Stating that there is a need for a holistic, organized proposal that will protect children from violence and crime, that will be deterrent and preventive, that imposes duties and responsibilities on ministries and institutions, but does not undermine children's rights, Emir said that the best interests of the child and the minor must be protected in the Constitution. Pointing to international law standards, universal law principles and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Emir evaluated the concept of increasing penalties and executions and keeping children in prison longer as "incomplete" and "shallow".

Emir said that if the proposal is brought to the General Assembly, they will continue to make constructive contributions and criticisms in the commission and the General Assembly.

Commenting on giving wide discretionary power to judges, Emir said that judges should not be given open-ended and wide discretionary powers if a provision is made in which a child aged 12 or over 15 can be sentenced to heavy penalties up to life imprisonment. The order stated that discretion should be tied to objective, measurable and auditable criteria.

Otherwise, Emir stated that there is a risk of extremely negative decisions emerging due to daily psychologies, media lynchings or political pressures, and said that there is a danger that these risks will spread to 12-13 year old children. The order stated that if a life imprisonment sentence for a 12-13-year-old child is discussed, objective and clear criteria that narrow the judge's discretion, that are auditable and measurable, should be introduced, otherwise it cannot be measured what punishment will be given and whether the public conscience will be satisfied.

Emir stated that when it comes to a child who is alleged to have committed a crime, the underlying reasons should be taken into consideration, and said that the issue cannot be considered independently of education, social services, the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the social dilemmas of the country and the economic crisis. Stating that there is an understanding that ignores all these and considers increasing the punishment of the criminal, Emir said, "However, you have to prevent it. We have to protect our children from violence. We have to protect our children from being victims of violence."

AK Party Group Deputy Chairperson Leyla Şahin Usta stated that they discussed the bill proposal in more detail with CHP and Yeni Yol, and that they explained the proposal and gave preliminary information for its passage with the support and contributions of the commission.

Stating that they also met with the DEM Party, Usta stated that the sensitivity of the society on this issue is known to everyone and that there is an opinion that a step should be taken. Usta stated that the DEM Party will examine the proposal and express its views in the commission, and said that there are opinions that protective and preventive measures should be prioritized and the best interests of children should be protected.

Usta stated that the Parliament's activity calendar is not yet clear, that there are many packages in front of them, and that they wish to complete the 18-article bill.

The proposal submitted to the Presidency of the Turkish Grand National Assembly is expected to be discussed in the Justice Commission on Thursday, July 16, at 14.30.