A draft resolution calling for a moratorium on capital punishment was submitted Friday to a U.N. committee, with the proposed text seeking exemption for anyone under the age of 18 for the first time.
The draft specifically calls on countries to "progressively restrict the use of the death penalty" and to refrain from handing it down to people under 18 and pregnant women. The proposal is currently being considered by the U.N.'s Third Committee, which deals with human rights issues.
While the idea of establishing a moratorium is hardly new — the General Assembly previously adopted resolutions on the issue in 2007, 2008 and 2010 — creating a minimum age restriction is a novel twist.