Crossbench MPs are pushing for legislative changes that would lift the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.
Centre Alliance’s Rebekha Sharkie says current laws allowing 10-year-olds to be held criminally responsible for their actions are inconsistent with international laws, where the average age of criminal responsibility is 14.
The law does not take evidence about children’s mental capacity into consideration, as they often do not understand what they are doing is a crime, Ms Sharkie said.