Government reservations over MP proposal for chemical castration of abusers

A proposal for the chemical castration of people convicted for the sexual abuse of children was presented on Wednesday at parliament, however the government appeared to have reservations about its effectiveness and compatibility with human rights.

The proposal was put forward at the House legal committee by Dipa MP Michalis Yiacoumi, who referred to “shocking data”.

He quoted statistics presented on Tuesday to mark the European day for the protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse, according to which one new case is reported in Cyprus every 20 hours.

“This is not statistical data, it is a warning,” Yiacoumi stressed.

He added that the state could be an observer to this crime and that the proposal provided for the chemical castration of perpetrators with their consent, as a prerequisite for their release.

“It is not torture. It is not amputation. It is a reversible medical action only with the consent of the convict,” Yiacoumi explained.

Justice ministry representative Spyros Yiallourides said the ministry was in favour of making laws stricter, especially when it concerns the abuse of children, however it had some reservations about this specific proposal.

Yiallourides said the justice ministry had requested the immediate activation by the health ministry of programmes within and outside the prisons for crimes concerning the abuse of children.

He added that although chemical castration is being used abroad, it entails serious bioethical issues, such as the impact on the long-term health of the individual and the person’s human rights.

Yiallourides suggested enhancing existing measures before resorting to something as drastic as castration.

The representative from the Law Office also expressed reservations, saying that amendments to existing legislation did not appear to be justified as vital statistics were missing, such as how many convicts were being released and how many reoffended.

She pointed out that chemical castration was a preventive measure and should be used as a treatment on a voluntary basis, adding that “paedophilia is a mental illness” and “eradicating a human function because we cannot find other ways to prevent it is not a solution”.

The police said it was positive that there had been an increase in the sexual abuse of children in recent years, however it joined the justice ministry and the Law Office in their reservations.

Central prison deputy director Constantinos Constantinides also agreed with the justice ministry and Law Office.

Speaking on behalf of the ombudswoman, Nicolas Kaizer said that such offenders were not usually released.

Head of the prisoners’ rights association Alexandros Clerides sent a memo to the committee, saying the MPs should request data from the parole board for the release of prisoners.

“From our experience, we know that no one or almost none of these individuals have been released by the parole board. Or if they have, it is about one in 100, which renders the proposal void of substance and objective,” he said.

Clerides also suggested that the castration approach may be against the rights of prisoners, as it was unjustified and unreasonable and could thus be construed as punishment.