Indonesian lawmakers on October 12 passed a regulation proposed by the government, allowing for chemical castration and execution for perpetrators of sexual violence against children. The laws were the subject of fierce debate, with two opposition parties voting against the measures.
Penalties under the new law include death as a maximum sentence and chemical castration, with a possible addition of a two-year maximum jail sentence.
Offenders could also be ordered to wear an electronic tracking device to monitor their movements after they have been released from prison, face life imprisonment or could even see a minimum of at least 10 years in jail.
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The passing of the proposed regulation into law, which had been put on hold at the House of Representatives’ plenary session for the last two months after objections by three party factions - was reportedly put into motion with “notes” from two of those three parties whom still held reservations
Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed the proposed regulation in May, after activists and masses called for reform in the wake of the brutal gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old-school girl in Bengkulu, on the western island of Sumatra, in April. The case shocked and angered the nation, prompting the president to introduce the tough new measures.
Malaysia may consider chemical castration for paedophileshttps://t.co/LLetwt4LKR pic.twitter.com/P1zKXt3gVs
— TODAY (@TODAYonline) October 21, 2016
Harsh punishments
Chemical castration involves injecting convicts with female hormones. It is used on sex offenders in Poland, South Korea, Russia, and some US states, among others. Prisoners in UK jails can volunteer for the treatment. The new laws also allow judges to sentence paedophiles to death or tag them electronically, and applies a 10-year minimum sentence for child sex crimes. Human rights groups including the National Commission for Women (NCW) criticised the laws and called for them to be re-evaluated each year to test whether they are a deterrent. Azriana, the head of the NCW, said, "Other countries that have chemical castration have not seen a reduction in sexual crime against children. Also it's a very expensive procedure and what we should be spending and investing our money in is services to support and help the victims." Dr Yohana Susana Yembise, Indonesia's Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Protection, said the administration was "praying" that the punishments "will have the desired effect". She said, "now we have the harshest punishments- the death penalty, life in prison, chemical castration, the public naming of perpetrators and the electronic chip. These are now law, so even if you hate the idea of them everyone now has to support this." The Indonesian Doctors Association said its members should not take part in castrations as it would violate professional ethics. The punishments follow a number of high profile cases of child sexual abuse in the country.Indonesian president says 'chemical castration will wipe out paedophiles' https://t.co/xtah0mSGKq— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) October 20, 2016
The case
Following the discovery of the teenager’s body tied up and naked in the woods, police arrested 13 people over the attack while one alleged perpetrator is still at large. The murder and attack shocked the country and sparked a national debate about a failure to tackle endemic sexual violence.
Zainal, a 23-year-old who like many Indonesians goes by one name, was sentenced to death last month for premeditated murder, which was a crime already punishable by death before the new laws were introduced.
The mother of the victim shouted in protest after the verdicts were handed down, demanding all the defendants be sentenced to death.
The attack captured national attention when reports of the incident went viral on social media, prompting tens of thousands to sign online petitions and sparking protests in the capital Jakarta.
It has drawn comparisons with the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in 2012, which sparked mass protests and led to an overhaul of India’s rape laws.
Jokowi defends chemical castration for paedophiles https://t.co/ZkyVnvwWwt pic.twitter.com/M6rYFp7Yz6
— SBS News (@SBSNews) October 19, 2016
