Russia pushes "chemical castration" of paedophiles

Chemical castration: Why Medvedev suggests it for Russia's pedophiles/

Argentina province OKs chemical castration for rapists - CNN/19/3/10/

CASES IN US/UK...OF DEFENDING THIS LAW ALSO.....IS TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT SERIOUSLY????

By Ulf Mauder May 13, 2011, 2:06 GM

Moscow - Last year alone, violent crimes took the lives of more than 2,500 children in Russia, many of them victims of paedophiles.

Now the country is considering tougher penalties for child molesters, including 'chemical castration' that curbs sex drive by reducing levels of the male hormone testosterone.

'The punishment should be as harsh as possible... a liberal approach here is totally unacceptable,' remarked Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who said he would sign a chemical castration bill into law. The initiative enjoys widespread public approval.

Medvedev added that paedophiles should 'voluntarily' agree to the libido-lowering injections.

The draft law is a response by the Prosecutor General's Office to the thousands of rapes of minors in Russia each year. But since Russia, as Medvedev himself has conceded, is plagued by corruption, arbitrariness and 'legal nihilism,' lawyers fear that a chemical castration law could be abused.

Doctors warn, moreover, that the woeful, chronically underfinanced health care system is ill-equipped to implement one.

Nevertheless, critics of the initiative are few. They expose themselves to accusations of putting the human dignity of child sex offenders above the protection of children from sex crimes.

The Public Chamber, a Kremlin advisory panel not shy to criticize the government, and other influential groups have expressed support for Medvedev's plan.

'This is one of the most effective methods of protecting the population from paedophiles,' said Mikhail Fedotov, the Kremlin's human rights ombudsman. Commentators in Moscow point to Germany and other European Union countries where sex offenders can voluntarily have their libido reduced.

The castration programmes, along with the relevant medical certificates, offer sex offenders the prospect of release from prison after serving their sentences. Otherwise they could be kept in preventative detention for life.

In the opinion of experts, child molesters in Russia might well want to opt for chemical castration. After all, they are preyed on in the country's prisons and penal camps, many of which are as brutally run as during the day of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

More than a few child molesters do not survive their prison terms of eight to 15 years, and newspapers often report their killers receiving light punishments or none at all.

Meanwhile, sceptics say that Medvedev's push against paedophiles is a populist ploy aimed at presidential elections in 2012.

'Provoking blind rage in society is popular with us,' commented Novaya Gazeta, a Moscow newspaper often critical of the Kremlin.

By playing the 'paedophile card,' it said, the Kremlin wants to divert attention from the country's many other problems and channel Russians' pent-up frustration towards child molesters.

Moscow - Last year alone, violent crimes took the lives of more than 2,500 children in Russia, many of them victims of paedophiles. Now the country is considering tougher penalties for child molesters, including 'chemical castration' that curbs sex drive by reducing levels of the male hormone testosterone. 'The punishment should be as harsh as possible... a liberal approach here is totally unacceptable,' remarked Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who said he would sign a chemical castration bill into law. The initiative enjoys widespread public approval. Medvedev added that paedophiles should 'voluntarily' agree to the libido-lowering injections. The draft law is a response by the Prosecutor General's Office to the thousands of rapes of minors in Russia each year. But since Russia, as Medvedev himself has conceded, is plagued by corruption, arbitrariness and 'legal nihilism,' lawyers fear that a chemical castration law could be abused. Doctors warn, moreover, that the woeful, chronically underfinanced health care system is ill-equipped to implement one. Nevertheless, critics of the initiative are few. They expose themselves to accusations of putting the human dignity of child sex offenders above the protection of children from sex crimes. The Public Chamber, a Kremlin advisory panel not shy to criticize the government, and other influential groups have expressed support for Medvedev's plan. 'This is one of the most effective methods of protecting the population from paedophiles,' said Mikhail Fedotov, the Kremlin's human rights ombudsman. Commentators in Moscow point to Germany and other European Union countries where sex offenders can voluntarily have their libido reduced. The castration programmes, along with the relevant medical certificates, offer sex offenders the prospect of release from prison after serving their sentences. Otherwise they could be kept in preventative detention for life. In the opinion of experts, child molesters in Russia might well want to opt for chemical castration. After all, they are preyed on in the country's prisons and penal camps, many of which are as brutally run as during the day of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. More than a few child molesters do not survive their prison terms of eight to 15 years, and newspapers often report their killers receiving light punishments or none at all. Meanwhile, sceptics say that Medvedev's push against paedophiles is a populist ploy aimed at presidential elections in 2012. 'Provoking blind rage in society is popular with us,' commented Novaya Gazeta, a Moscow newspaper often critical of the Kremlin. By playing the 'paedophile card,' it said, the Kremlin wants to divert attention from the country's many other problems and channel Russians' pent-up frustration towards child molesters.