The new law will allow for voluntary chemical castration in lieu of shorter jail time. Lawmakers hope that this legislation will help tackle sex crimes in the country
Image used for representational purposes. AP
What’s the cost of committing a sexual offence in most countries? Rigorous imprisonment, payment of a hefty fine and perhaps getting socially boycotted.
Thailand has taken to stricter measures by adding voluntary chemical castration to the list of punishments its offenders will face in the event of a sexual assault.
In an effort to reduce sex related crimes, Thailand on Tuesday passed a bill that will allow sexual offenders to undergo chemical castration in return of shortened prison terms. The Violence-Related Reoffending Prevention Bill was proposed by the Justice Ministry of the country and got the approval of 145 senators, with two abstentions.
According to Bangkok Post, the Thai Senate passed the bill that allows voluntary chemical castration of a convicted sex offender.
What is chemical castration? Do other countries have similar laws? We try to answer all of these questions.
What is chemical castration?
Chemical castrations are employed to lower the levels of male hormones or androgens. The method involves the administration of certain drugs that reduce a recipient’s libido and as result it is hoped that their sexual activity also reduces. The drug involved in chemical castration is given via oral medication or an injection.
The effects of chemical castrations are reversible. They last as long as the drug is administered. But once the recipient stops taking the drug, hormone levels return back to normal, according to Healthline.
Doctors use this method to lower the risk of prostate cancer among men.
According to an article by The Conversation, opponents of chemical castration point out to the risks involved in long-term use of chemical castration. These include higher susceptibility to osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and impaired glucose and lipid metabolism.
By administering this procedure, it is expected that offenders will not commit the same crime again. As per The Conversation, traditional punishment methods such as imprisonment and behavioural therapies have not proven to be particularly effective. Hence, the concept of chemical castration was introduced as one of a penal method.
What does Thailand’s new law say?
The Violence-Related Reoffending Prevention Bill gained exponential support from MPs and was passed by the Senate after it passed the third reading in the House of Representatives back in February.
According to a Thai PBS World report, as a part of the bill, medication can only be prescribed by the approval of a psychiatrist specialist and an internal medicine specialist. The consent of the offender is also a precondition for administering the drug.
The bill further read that certain sex offenders who are deemed at-risk of re-offending may be given the option to receive injections which will lower their testosterone levels. Those who opt for this procedure will be given shorter jail time.
According to a Mirror Now report, offenders will be monitored for 10 years and will also be required to wear electronic monitoring bracelets. This method can also be applied to those who have completed their sentences or to those who are in rehabilitation.
The Bangkok Post reported that the bill will become a law when it is published in the Royal Gazette.
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that he hopes the bill becomes a law as soon as possible. “I don’t want to see news about bad things happening to women again,” he said according to a WION report.
Countries that allow chemical castration
Thailand is not the first country to introduce chemical castration. Countries like South Korea, the United States, The Czech Republic and Ukraine have been adopting this form of punishment for a long time.
South Korea passed the law in 2011 that aimed particularly at reducing the menace of child offenders.
The Czech Republic is the only country to perform surgical castration where the hormone producing glands are surgically removed. The law was introduced in 1966.
In US, seven states — California, Florida, Guam, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana and Wisconsin — have legalised chemical castration.
Ukraine employed the method in 2019 and the law says that states, if needed, even have the power exert force on the convict to undergo the procedure, as per a TRTWorld report.
What do critics say?
Even though many experts believe that once the drug is administered, the offender is less likely to engage in sexual activities, it does not prevent sexual violence.
According to a report on ANI, a castrated person may become a misogamist and develop a hatred for women in general. Since intercourse is only one of the many of the many ways of sexual violence, castration won’t necessarily stop a person from harming women because of extreme anger.
With inputs from agencies
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