Indonesia to castrate child sex offenders

[Concorde]

Indonesia to castrate child sex offenders

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 21 October, 2015, 8:14am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 21 October, 2015, 8:14am

Kyodo

It has not been decided, which kind of castration will be imposed – chemical or surgical. Photo: Reuters

The Indonesian government decided on Tuesday to impose castration against child molesters following a recent series of sexual attacks against children in the country.

The decision was made after a limited Cabinet meeting on violence against children chaired by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Attorney General Prasetyo, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told reporters that molestation of children is categorised as an “extraordinary crime” and therefore “should be paid by an extraordinary punishment”.

“The Cabinet meeting decided to impose an additional sentence against child molesters by conducting castration against them to deter, to prevent more sexual abuses against children from happening,” he said.

“The perpetrators will think a thousand times before committing the crime if we impose the punishment,” he added.

Calling it a breakthrough in the country’s legal system, Prasetyo said Jokowi will issue a government regulation in lieu of the law when deemed necessary, because it will take time to revise the current Criminal Code.

It has not been decided, however, which kind of castration will be imposed – chemical or surgical.

Chemical castration is conducted by prescribing drugs to child molesters in order to reduce their libido and sexual activities without removing any organs or sterilising them. Meanwhile, in the surgical one, the gonads will be removed through an incision in the body that will make the molesters sterilised.

According to data of the National Commission for Child Protection, from 2010 until 2014, almost 22 million children suffered violence, with 62 per cent of them exposed to sexual abuses.

Some states in the United States and several European countries, as well as other nations, impose castration against sex offenders, including child molesters. South Korea was the first country in Asia implementing castration for sexual offenders.

International human rights organisation Amnesty International, however, opposes such a punishment, saying castration is an “inhuman treatment” despite public opinion in many countries supporting the sentence when minors are concerned.