It’s official: Indonesia’s new law castrates pedophiles

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia will begin chemically castrating convicted pedophiles in an effort to combat child sex abuse. 

On Wednesday, May 25, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed a presidential directive to castrate child sex offenders. Death penalty as punishment was also introduced.

“This regulation will resolve a significant number of crisis caused by sexual violence against children. I condemn violence against children as an extraordinary crime, as it harms personal life and growth of the victims,” Jokowi said.

“It needs special prosecution because this kind of delinquency also disturbs the safety and peace of society.”

He said that “the shortest jail time will be 10 years while 20 years is the longest” and that “the convict’s identity will be announced.” 

Judges may also consider installation of electronic devices and microchips on convicted child felons to track their movement, in addition to castration.

“These new punishments hopefully will give lessons to convicts,” said the President.

In October, Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo said, “(It) will make people think a thousand times before committing such crimes.” 

“This crime is extraordinary and there have been so many victims.”

Indonesia joins a small group of places that use chemical castration against child sex offenders, including Poland and some states in the US. In 2011, South Korea became the first Asian country to legalize the punishment.

Indonesia has been shocked by a series of high-profile child sex attacks. The most recent case was the gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl by 14 men.

Another 10-year-old was lured by ice cream and later raped.

Under former laws, child sex abuse is punishable by 15 years in jail but in many cases pedophiles have been handed short sentences. – Rappler.com/with reports from Agence France-Presse