Turkey Considers Reintroducing Chemical Castration for Pedophiles

The Turkish Minister of Justice stated on Tuesday that authorities wish to implement chemical castration for perpetrators of sexual abuse against minors.

– Courts will decide on the implementation and duration of chemical castration to suppress or reduce sexual desire, said Minister Abdulhamit Gul.

The country is experiencing outrage after a 20-year-old attacked a four-year-old boy at a wedding in the Adana province last week. The prosecution requested a 66-year prison sentence for the attacker on Tuesday, according to the state agency Anadolu.

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Chemical castration was already introduced in Turkey for perpetrators of sexual crimes in July 2016, but the State Council prevented its implementation because “the definition of treatment and its boundaries were unclear.”

– All options will be on the table, all measures that need to be taken to solve the problem, Gul added.

Government spokesman Bekir Bozdag announced on Monday the establishment of a six-member commission, including Gul, to investigate ways to address child abuse.

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The number of cases of sexual abuse against children increased from 3,778 in 2006 to 21,189 in 2016, according to data from the Ministry of Justice released by human rights organizations. Nearly 60 percent of those suspected in these cases during 2016 were convicted, stated the Turkish Human Rights Association.

The Women’s Assembly, an organization for the protection of women’s rights, warned on Twitter that chemical castration is a punishment that is not in accordance with modern laws and violates human rights.