One of the most disturbing thing that could happen is for someone to be a sexual offender than preys on children. They take away the innocence of those young individuals and they do so in the most disgusting way possible. Unfortunately, we hear about it far too often.
When we hear of sex offenders in the news, it turns our stomach and angers us. That is what makes this news story so incredible, because the Indonesian president, Joko Windodo, is now allowing chemical castration for child sex offenders. Those who are releases on parole will also have to wear electronic monitoring devices.
This took place after the gang rape and murder of a 14 year old girl. 7 teenagers were each sentenced to 10 years in prison and the public was demanding chemical castration. Mr. Joco signed the decree into law. It allows judges to hand out that punishment at their discretion when a case of child sexual abuse takes place. “The inclusion of such an amendment will provide space for the judge to decide severe punishments as a deterrent effect on perpetrators,” Mr. Joko said.
“These crimes have undermined the development of children, and these crimes have disturbed our sense of peace, security and public order,” he added. “So, we will handle it in an extraordinary way.”
Mr. Joko said that “sexual violence against children has increased significantly” in Indonesia, although his government has not provided data to back his assertions. He also increased the jail sentences for child sex offenders to a maximum of 20 years from 10 years.
An unofficial moratorium on capital punishment was removed last year due to Indonesia facing what is called a drug crisis. 13 drug traffickers were executed by firing squad, and the international community spoke out.
Chemical castration takes place when drugs remove the sex drive. A number of countries have used it for sex offenders and pedophiles. Some of the countries that allow chemical castration include Australia, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
It was originally used in the 1940s and there are skeptics as to whether it really works.
“Chemical castration risks offering a false solution, and a simple one, to what is inevitably a complex and difficult problem,” said Heather Barr, a senior researcher on women’s rights with Human Rights Watch, the New York-based organization.
“Protecting children from sexual abuse requires a complex and carefully calibrated set of responses,” she said, including an effective social services system, school-based efforts to prevent and detect abuse, treatment services for people at risk of abusing children and criminal justice measures that focus on prevention.
“Chemical castration on its own addresses none of these needs,” Ms. Barr continued, “and medical interventions should be used, if at all, only as part of a skilled treatment program, not as a punishment.”
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