Rapists, child molesters deserve no better
In the past few weeks, Indonesia and Turkey have passed legislation that will mandate chemical castration for sex offenders, particularly child sex offenders. Is it time for India to consider such a punishment as well, particularly for child sex offenders, given the severity of the problemIJ Not a day passes when you hear of a horrifying child sexual abuse story, although sadly most such stories get buried deep inside the newspapers and barely merit a mention on news television. There is little doubt in the minds of most civilised people that child sexual abuse is the most twisted and heinous crime. Yet from slums to middle-class localities and in the homes of the rich, such crime is depressingly common. One reason for this is without doubt the lack of prosecution in most cases as the perpetrator is known to the victim, often an elder relative. The second is that, despite promises of ‘fast-track' courts and what not, cases linger in court long enough to become putrid. It is bad enough that rape victims have to undergo cases for years, but to make children undergo that same horrorIJ There is a reason many parents don't push the system. With criminals having the knowledge of lighter punishments and the possibility of compromise, the vicious cycle of crime continues. In most other parts of the world child sex abuse cases are pursued aggressively both by police and the justice system. Even when ‘justice' is seemingly done, we have cases like Sajid Ahmed Moghul, the murderer of Pallavi Purkhayasta, who skipped out while on furlough.
Chemical castration has been in use in many countries across the world, although such use has not passed without controversy. In some European countries convicts choose to take such abuse voluntarily to be given lower sentences. The drugs used in chemical castration lower a man's libido and apparently reduce sexual activity. A similar cocktail of drugs is often used on prostate cancer victims. There have been some noted side effects as well as cases where those on the drug have attacked again. The biggest problem with chemical castration, however, is the continuous delivery, with those undergoing the process needing to undergo injections every three months. In India, it’ll be highly optimistic to believe that convicted sexual perverts will voluntarily undergo this procedure that will ‘rob their manhood'. In some countries, the procedure is conducted on perpetrators already behind bars as an additional punishment. While chemical castration as a possible punishment is an idea that should stay on the table, despite almost inevitable opposition by some groups, it would be better that we beef up the criminal justice system in India first. The first step is to start maintaining a national register of child sexual offenders. If this Government's plan to map all Indians through Adhaar is successful, there could be ways to tracking perverts. We need to think of solutions because our children deserve better.