New Delhi, Jan 11 (India Today) : Women lawyers in the Supreme Court have filed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to the Centre to consider imposing castration for child sex abusers and child rapists.
Voicing their concerns over the increasing incidents of sexual assaults across the country, the PIL filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers Association (SCWLA) reads, "only castration can be an effective deterrent".
This is not the first time that the Centre has been asked to consider castration as a punishment, Madras High Court too had asked the Centre to consider it.
The PIL stated that a child is abused every 30 minutes in India and there has been a 151% increase in child rapes in the past five years. The PIL came in retrospect to a shocking incident in Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pradesh where a 28-day-old baby girl was raped.
Even in 2011, a Delhi sessions judge suggested chemical castration for child rapists as alternative to a jail term. However, the judge acknowledged that it might not be a perfect solution but it will certainly discourage sexual assault better than incarceration.
In 2013, Justice Verma Committee rejected the demand for castration and said that the punishment failed to treat the social foundations of rape. The committee also found it unconstitutional.
But, what is Castration and how many countries are using this method of punishment?
Castration is the removal of testicles, surgically or chemically. It reduces the production of testosterone and leaves the man infertile.
During chemical castration, pharmaceutical drugs are used to inactivate the testes.
In India, castration has been a mooted topic. While some give knee-jerk reactions, some consider it retrograde and inhuman.
But there are a few countries who follow this method:
1. United States of America
In some states of the U.S like California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and others, castration is used to deal with the pedophiles. It is used as an alternative to imprisonment or death penalty.
In an audacious statement, ethologist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins defended "mild pedophilia" by saying that it does not cause lasting harm. He went on to share his experience of getting sexually abused by one of his school teacher
2. South Korea
The country uses chemical castration on serial rapists who "preyed on young girls". South Korea became the first country in Asia to legalise the punishment in 2011.
3. China
China, is extremely strict about sexual crimes and declares death penalty as soon as the rapist is convicted.
It also uses castration, depending on the nature of crime.
Many officials in China want the definition of child rape broadened and certain criminal laws be amended. This demand came after a government scandal highlighted loopholes in existing laws that fail to protect children against offenders.
Others
But it has been noted that many countries like Poland, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand are introducing castration to deal with child sex offenders.