Mauritius Government Quietly Drops Plan to Lower Criminal Age to 12

Xavier-Luc Duval, leader of the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate (PMSD), one of Mauritius's main opposition parties, has publicly accused the government of quietly abandoning its plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years old.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday 24 October at Astor Court in Port Louis, Duval said the government had clearly backtracked on the proposal. "We all know how this government operates. They announced it, and then two or three days later they announced a Select Committee," he said, suggesting the committee was a way to shelve the idea without formally withdrawing it.

Duval noted that the announcement had triggered a sharp negative reaction from the Mauritian public, which he believes forced the government's hand.

The controversy began after a period of civil unrest involving adolescents who were detained and later released on bail. Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam had responded by stating that the government was considering lowering the minimum age at which a young person can be held fully criminally responsible under the law, dropping it from the current threshold of 14 years to 12.

The proposal immediately sparked debate. Critics argued that criminalising younger children would not address the root causes of youth delinquency and could cause lasting harm to vulnerable minors. Supporters of the idea argued that younger offenders needed to face firmer legal consequences to act as a deterrent.

Duval also used the press conference to remind citizens that parents bear a significant share of responsibility for guiding and educating their children, and that any government response to youth crime must take that into account.

In Mauritius, the age of criminal responsibility sets the minimum age at which a child can be prosecuted and convicted in a court of law. Lowering it would mean that 12 and 13-year-olds could face criminal charges and potentially enter the formal justice system, rather than being handled through juvenile welfare or social support mechanisms.

The government has not officially confirmed or denied whether the proposal has been dropped. The announcement of a Select Committee, a parliamentary body tasked with examining a specific issue in depth, is often seen in Mauritian political circles as a way of delaying or quietly burying a contentious policy without a direct reversal.

What this means: If the government has indeed shelved the plan, young people between 12 and 14 who come into conflict with the law will continue to be dealt with under existing juvenile protection frameworks rather than full criminal prosecution. For families, youth workers and educators, this means the current approach to handling underage offenders remains unchanged for now, though the debate around youth crime and parental accountability is likely to continue.

Source: ION News