Sex Offenders In Thailand May Be Able To Accept Chemical Castration In Return For Less Prison Time

Sex offenders in Thailand may soon be able to accept chemical castration in return for serving less prison time.

A bill approved by Thailand's lower house was passed in March this year, but it still needs another house vote followed by royal endorsement to be valid.

The bill claims that those sex offenders who are deemed at risk of reoffending could be given an option to have an injection which would lower their testosterone levels.

The idea behind this is that a lower testosterone level could decrease the chance of the perpetrator carrying out further sex offences.

The approval of two doctors would be needed, and the offenders would be monitored for 10 years, along with being required to wear an electronic monitor.

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"I want this law to pass quickly," Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said.

"I don't want to see news about bad things happening to women again," he added.

However, Jaded Chouwilai, director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that addresses sexual violence, claims that chemical castration would not tackle sex crime.

"Convicts should be rehabilitated by changing their mindset while in prison," he said.

"To use punishment like execution or injected castration reinforces the idea that the offender can no longer be rehabilitated."

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One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has also said she wants to see harsher penalties for paedophiles in Australia, and has called for them to be chemically castrated if convicted.

"People are very concerned about their children's safety and they want strong laws and penalties for those convicted of paedophilia," Hanson said in an interview with Daily Mail Australia.

"I support chemical castration and tougher penalties for paedophiles, and the establishment of a national database of paedophiles.

"For sex offences not involving children, I consider it appropriate for the presiding magistrate or judge to determine the appropriate penalty under the relevant law."

According to Healthline, the treatment might be more complex than some may think. The health resource writes: "Chemical castration is not a one-time treatment. Your doctor administers the drugs by injection or implants them under your skin. 

"Depending on the drug and the dose, this must be repeated as often as once a month or as seldom as once a year."

It adds: "According to a 2013 research review, side effects and complications may increase the longer you’re in treatment. Your doctor may recommend other therapies to prevent or ease these side effects."

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