ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses whether international human rights law and international criminal law impose on states a duty to establish a reasonable Mini mum Age of Criminal Responsibility, before turning to a discussion of relevant international law instruments themselves. It appears that international law obliges states to establish a minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR), but that international law does not provide specific guidance about what the MACR should be. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is one of the most important multilateral human rights treaties and the cornerstone of the so-called International Bill of Human Rights. The ICCPR currently has 168 state parties, and Somalia became a member of this treaty. Two different ICCPR articles specifically address the rights of juvenile suspects. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Currently, the United States is the only country that is not a member of the CRC.
