A congresswoman is all for the nationwide imposition of a curfew for minors to prevent lawless elements from using them in committing crimes.

In House Bill 1016, or the proposed “National Curfew Act,” Deputy Minority Leader Bernadette Herrera of the Bagong Henerasyon party-list sought a nationwide curfew on persons below 18 years old—from 10 p.m to 5 a.m.

The measure will strictly prohibit minors from leaving their homes during the curfew period if it is enacted at the House of Representatives.

“Children below the age of 18 are vulnerable to abuse leading to exploitation, drug addiction, and the commission of criminal acts, as well as being at the risk of committing criminal offenses themselves,” Herrera, who authored a similar bill during the 18th Congress, said in a statement.

The proposed juvenile curfew law, according the lady lawmaker, is not only meant to maintain “public order and safety” and prevent crimes, but also to protect minors from “potential threat that may be harmful or detrimental to their development.”

Herrera cited the case of syndicates and unscrupulous individuals victimizing children for their illegal activities.

“This has resulted to an increasingly alarming rate of children,” she said, adding that minors have been involved in criminal offenses such as abduction, rape, abuse, theft, murder, among others.

She said that juvenile curfew is consistent with the 1987 Constitution provision which stated that “the State shall defend the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to their development.”

Herrera also noted another constitutional provision which said that “the State recognizes the role of youth in nation-building and shall promote their physical, spiritual, intellectual and social well-being.”