Paedophiles face death and castration in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Paedophiles and child rapists may soon be subject to harsh penalties, including chemical castration and the death penalty, with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo having decided to issue a tough new regulation against sex crimes.

Jokowi gave his consent for the issuance of a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) which will serve as a new legal basis to deter people from committing sex crimes against children, ordering officials to finalise the draft immediately after he announced the sexual abuse of children as an extraordinary crime “that needs extraordinary measures”.

The government expects the House of Representatives to approve the Perppu, which will introduce a maximum sentence of 20 years, lifetime imprisonment, while those found guilty of committing premeditated murder after committing a sexual crime against a child may face a death sentence.

The existing Child Protection Law was revised in 2014, but the amendment sanctions a maximum 15-year term of imprisonment for rapists, as stipulated in Article 81, and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison for the murderer of a child.

The Perppu will also impose chemical castration for convicted paedophiles and child rapists, another controversial sanction.

“It (chemical castration) can be given (to the convict) during or after serving a prison sentence,” Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said.

He later ensured that chemical castration would not be a compulsory measure, saying that the court would determine whether or not such a sanction should be imposed.

The government is also mulling a plan to enforce ankle monitors containing tracking chips for convicted paedophiles and child rapists post prison term and imposing further social sanctions by publishing their identity to the public.

However, opposition to the Perppu, particularly with regard to chemical castration and the death penalty, was voiced on Wednesday by a number of rights activists who deem the sanction an unsatisfactory solution.

Activists argued that, even in countries where chemical castration has been implemented, questions have been raised about whether or not it works as a deterrent.

“Castration is not a solution. We believe that it will extend the chain of sexual abuse because it is also a form of sexual torture,” said Lathiefah Widuri Retyaningtyas, an activist from the Perempuan Mahardhika group. — The Jakarta Post / Asia News Network