Sex offenders in Thailand could be offered chemical castration for less prison time

The bill has passed the first stage on the way to becoming law

Thailand is in the process of trying to pass a bill that would allow sex offenders to accept chemical castration in return for serving less prison time. The bill was approved by the country's lower house in March this year, and now needs to pass another house vote followed by royal endorsement in order to become law. It argues that offenders considered at risk of reoffending should be given an option to have an injection to lower their testosterone levels. The hope is that this would decrease their chances of carrying out further sex offences. If they chose to take this option, the approval of two doctors would be needed. The offender would then be monitored for a decade, and would have to wear an electronic tag. According to department figures via Reuters, more than a quarter of convicted sex offenders released from prison between 2013 and 2020 went on to reoffend (4,848 out of 16,413). Thailand's Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsuthin said: "I want this law to pass quickly. "I don't want to see news about bad things happening to women again." But not everyone is in favour of the bill. Jaded Chouwilai, director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that addresses sexual violence, argues that this would not tackle sex crime. She said: "Convicts should be rehabilitated by changing their mindset while in prison. "To use punishment like execution or injected castration reinforces the idea that the offender can no longer be rehabilitated." There are currently only a handful of countries across the globe who use chemical castration, including Poland, South Korea and Russia. The use of chemical castration against sex offenders has also been legalised in seven US states. Related links:

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