Children’s lobby group Hear the Children’s Cry is strongly opposing the proposal to decriminalise sexual offences committed by minors.

The organisation’s spokesperson, attorney at law Priscilla Duhaney says the group believes there must be a balance and disagrees with the concept of “the close-in-age” exception.

According to Ms Duhaney, there can be no justification or pardon for sexual offences.

She adds that it is not a frivolous matter for one to believe experimenting is a defence or an excuse, noting that the lobby groupdismisses the thought process that experimenting is to be pardoned.

Acknowledging that the society is plagued with child sexual offences the lobby group says there is a need for social, divine and legal interventions, if the root causes are to be identified and addressed.

Hear the Children’s Cry says there should be sanctions for youths who sexually violate each other with or without consent, with social intervention during incarceration.

The group is also calling for a shorter period for expungement to allow the children to be reinstated into the society to complete their education or join the workforce.

The lobby group says for consensual parties under the age of 16 years, suspended sentence should be applied with community service and other social intervention strategies, only if it is a first time offence.

This it says should be placed on the record and after a reasonably short period expungement should occur.

It notes that a penalty should deter the offence, whether it be first or repeated.

Ms. Duhaney cited an incident late last year involving a 13 year old girl in Portmore St Catherine, noting that it is not comforting to accept that close age, experiment, or a mere social intervention would suffice in this matter.

She adds that it is imperative that society considers the impact that this proposed amendment to legislation will have on the victim, their family and friends.