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Chemical castration not far off: Minister
Suffer the little children: Schoolchildren participate in a rally to call for an end to violence against children
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Suffer the little children: Schoolchildren participate in a rally to call for an end to violence against children. Womenâs Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yembise said on Sunday the government was striving to push down the number of sexual violence cases in Indonesia, partly by composing a draft bill on chemical castration against sex offenders. (Kompas) (Kompas)
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span class="inline inline-center">Suffer the little children: Schoolchildren participate in a rally to call for an end to violence against children. Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yembise said on Sunday the government was striving to push down the number of sexual violence cases in Indonesia, partly by composing a draft bill on chemical castration against sex offenders. (Kompas)
Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yembise has said her ministry has finalized the composing of a draft bill on chemical castration as a punishment for sex offenders.
'I have handed over the chemical castration draft bill to the coordinating human development and culture minister [Puan Maharani],' she said as quoted by tempo.co on Sunday.
Yohana further said the composing of the draft bill, recently handed over for an examination process at the coordinating ministry, was based on President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's request as part of the government's efforts to push down the number of sexual violence cases in Indonesia.
The minister did not give further details on whether the draft bill would be used as a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) or included in the Criminal Code (KUHP) revision bill. Puan, she said, was currently examining the draft bill before Jokowi studied it. After that, the draft bill would be handed over to the House of Representatives to be deliberated.
Yohana indicated that the chemical castration draft bill would be deliberated at the House this year.
'In principle, we have agreed on the concept of chemical castration as a punishment for perpetrators of sexual violence,' she said.
Yohana did not give details on the categories of sexual violence cases in which the perpetrators would be punished with chemical castration, or on the health treatment the government would give those subjected to the procedure.
Separately, National Commission on Child Protection chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait urged the government to immediately enact its plan to issue a Perppu on chemical castration punishment for sex offenders. 'The President has agreed to chemical castration for child predators,' he said as quoted by tempo.co on Sunday.
Arist, who said he had attended a discussion on the issuance of a Perppu on chemical castration in a limited Cabinet meeting on Jan.20, said President Jokowi had asked Puan to enact the plan at the beginning of February.
Chemical castration, Arist said, would act as a deterrent against those tempted to rape and murder children. 'Indonesia is an emergency state of sexual violence [against children], so this regulation is desperately needed,' said Arist.
Child-sex offenders tended now to receive only light sanctions, he said.
'What have been committed by the child predators are not ordinary crimes. These are extraordinary crimes,' said Arist.
He said chemical castration had been practiced in several countries, such as Poland, Romania, South Korea and the UK, on predators who had taken children's lives after inflicting sexual violence on them. 'It's not imposed on ordinary sex attackers,' said Arist.
National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) chairwoman Azriana said the idea of imposing chemical castration on sex predators through a Perppu should be re-examined, noting that the commission had at least eight reasons to consider the policy inappropriate.
Chemical castration, Azriana said, removed a person's sexual and reproductive rights, basic human rights.
'Forced sterilization is categorized as a crime against humanity,' said Azriana. (liz/ebf)(+)
