Surgical or chemical castration in exchange for less prison time: Is it justice for rape victims or justice for rapists
Highlights:
- Is chemical castration as a punishment for rapists and sex offenders an effective method?
- Chemical castration in European countries has varying experiences.
- There are divided opinions about introducing chemical castration in India
Many of us always think that death should be the only punishment for committing a sexual offence or something harsher that will have a deterrent effect on perpetrators. Why not, since it is one of the most heinous crimes, we all can think of.
However, not every rapist gets any punishment as it sometimes depends entirely on their caste, religion, social status, and emotional attachment to the system, especially in India.
Sex offences should be taken very seriously, particularly because they often are committed by individuals with serious mental health issues. There are multiple sex offences, such as indecent exposure, statutory rape, rape and other violent and sexual assault crimes. So, in some cases, the option of surgical or chemical castration for sex offenders can be considered but is it worth it, that is the real deal.
Recently, Thailand has set an example and taken strict measures to deal with sex offenders to ensure they don’t commit the crime again and to reduce sex-related crimes. Thai lawmakers have passed a bill and approved an option of voluntary castration for sex offenders who are likely to commit the crime once again after their release in lieu of shortening their prison sentence or punishment.
By approving this, Thailand has joined a small group of countries that use chemical castration, among them are U.S. states, Poland, South Korea, Russia and Estonia, The Czech Republic, Ukraine and more.
In some Islamic countries: Castration is followed and, surprisingly, in many cases, even the victim is punished.
INDIA AND ITS STATE OF AFFAIRS
Feminists in India have been demanding the death penalty for every rape crime or sexual assault. Surprisingly, rape punishment only applies to poor or middle-class men in India. Powerful/rich men with high profile status always get away by bribing corrupt police/justice systems, or in such cases, the matter or the cases never even comes up as it is buried every time, according to the multiple news reports and sources.
There are several reasons why the Indian government is not introducing chemical castration against sexual crimes even after the fact that it is already being employed in other countries as the numbers of crimes against children are still rising. Despite the introduction of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in 2012, from 2012 to 2014, the number of reported sexual crimes against children increased from 38,172 to more than 89,423 and the conviction rates for such crimes, are as low as 2.4%.
Another reason why there is no strong law for sexual crimes in India is that false Rape cases by women are rising as Live-In/Non-marital relationship gets sour, and the concept itself is very controversial. So, apparently, punishment in India is completely driven by personal motives of fake feminists, women organizations, media, police, TRPs, politicians, and Vote bank.
Perhaps that is why the judiciary system and legal experts don’t believe that castration would be able to bring down the number of sex crimes in India by serving as an effective deterrent for sexual offenders.
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Also, it has been observed that some fake Indian feminists/politicians just need a scapegoat to make a circus out of rape in the country, and they actually somehow get benefits from it.
WHAT IS CHEMICAL CASTRATION?
Castration whether surgical or chemical, is a medical process or action using oral medicines or injections, by which the testicles of a male become defunct as it involves the administration of certain drugs that reduce a recipient’s libido and as result, their sexual activity also reduces.
The drug involved in this chemical castration method is given via oral medication or an injection which reduces sexual drives, compulsive sexual fantasies, and capacity for sexual arousal.
In Surgical castration, the process involves removal of both testes or loss of testicles (bilateral orchiectomy)
Castration causes sterilisation (i.e., prevents men from reproducing); along with reducing the production of certain hormones, such as testosterone.
However, according to multiple medical reports, the effects of medicines are not lifetime, and it needs to be regularly taken which means they last as long as the drug is administered to keep testosterone levels low. However, once the recipient stops taking the drug, hormone levels return to normal.
COUNTRIES THAT ALLOW CHEMICAL CASTRATION
In May 2016, The New York Times reported that several countries use chemical castration on sex offenders, often in return for reduced sentences below are some:
THE CZECH REPUBLIC
According to reports, 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.
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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Nine states that have legalised castration in cases of sexual abuse are Georgia, California, Florida, Guam, Iowa, Oregon, Texas, Louisiana, Montana and Wisconsin.
Although, from 1993 to 2005-2006, recorded a decrease of at least 47% in cases of child sexual abuse. But, since the 2010s, cases have been increasing again.
INDONESIA
Indonesia’s parliament in 2016-2017 passed a law passing chemical castration following the case of gang rape of a 14-year-old girl that everyone along with several high-profile cases of child sexual abuse in the country. However, a man sentenced to chemical castration in 2019 said he would prefer an increase in prison time or even the death penalty.
Other countries that have adopted chemical castration as punishment for sex offenders are Ukraine, Germany, South Korea, the Nordic and Scandinavian countries, Poland, Russia, along with Estonia and Pakistan.
SURPRISINGLY, IT STILL DIDN’T WORK
The cases of sexual violence against minors in Indonesia, continued and rose significantly and even saw a surge since this law was passed in Parliament. According to the Indonesian Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), over 70 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2017, and the figure rose to 149 in 2018. And, by August 2019, around 1,200 cases were reported.
In addition, as per the National Commission on Violence against Women, 338,496 cases of sexual violence were reported in the country in the last year (2021), which is an increase of 50% compared to the year before that (2020).
WHAT DO CRITICS SAY?
A rapist can never feel remorse and chemical castration doesn’t really prevent crimes against women even if experts believe that once the drug is administered, the offender may not engage in sexual activities. But the fact is, it is not the offender’s testosterone or libido that forces him to do such things, it is actually the mindset, or the nature of that particular person and he is not going to stop. Even if the drug is administered, it will not prevent sexual violence, or it does not mean that the offenders still cannot do anything to assault women.
There is a very good possibility that a castrated person may become a misogynist and can develop hatred towards women. Reports suggest that penetration, rape, or intercourse are not the only thing by which a woman can be assaulted, and these are some of the ways of sexual violence against women. But also, castrated men can further develop more hatred and extreme anger against women for their situation.
