Fabricio Alvarado, legislator from National Restoration party, urged the approval of a bill that seeks to punish with up to 40 years in prison the homicide of children under 15 years old, and set the crime of torture against children in the Criminal Code.
We must be aware of that and give quick access to the project process, we must increase penalties against such criminals and not wait for this to happen to the son of a politician or the daughter of a recognized public figure,”
said Alvarado.
The legislator explained that the Costa Rican criminal law punishes the crime of torture with up to 12 years in prison, but it does establish a specific punishment when the victims are children.
According to Alvarado, there is a clear advantage of the perpetrator over the victim in these cases and this should be considered when judging the crime.
The initiative has already been consulted and is being analyzed by a sub-commission, in order to be approved or not by the Committee on Youth, Children and Adolescents of the Legislative Assembly in September.