By Jamil Maidan.
Jakarta. Vocal criticism from doctors and promises to not perform chemical castration against convicts has provided a blow to government plans to revise the sexual crimes law, a legal rights group has said.
The Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) issued a statement earlier this week objecting to castrations, allowed under a recently signed government regulation, citing concerns over the code of medical ethics.
According to IDI, the injection of synthetic female hormones for male offenders would not suppress perpetrators’ desire for sexual violence, suggesting that the government should look for other forms of punishment.
The Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) said the government should have consulted with various related parties, including medical experts and psychologists, since the beginning of the regulation’s deliberation.
“The government’s option to make the decision without a thorough study was a fatal move,” ICJR executive director Supriyadi Eddyono said recently.
Meanwhile, the government has defended the additional penalty, saying doctors performing chemical castration under the court verdicts would not breach the code of medical ethics. They believe chemical castration would set a deterrent for perpetrators, as well as reducing the number of what they have declared an extraordinary crime.
“The government should publicize the analysis it has conducted for the issuance of the regulation,” Supriyadi said. “It should provide explanations related to the regulation to House of Representatives lawmakers.”
The regulation, which will soon be deliberated at the House to revise the 2002 child protection law, also seeks a maximum prison term of 20 years, life imprisonment and the death penalty for pedophiles, serial rapists and those committing gang rape.
This tougher punishment also applies to perpetrators whose offenses pose severe impacts, ranging from injuries to mental disorders and death.
