Pakistan: Cabinet Approves Chemical Castration Of Habitual Rapists

After Parliament passes new legislation to impose harsher sentences on sexual violence perpetrators, sex offenders convicted of multiple rapes in Pakistan may face chemical castration.

This bill was introduced in response to public uproar over a recent spike in the rape of women and children in the country and rising demand for effective crime prevention, as per an NDTV report.

The bill's passage comes more than a year after President Arif Alvi signed a new anti-rape ordinance adopted by the Pakistan Cabinet, which calls for the chemical castration of rapists with the convict's consent and the establishment of special courts for expedited trials.

Anti-rape ordinances, which redefine the core definition of rape and inflict severe punishment for gang rape and rapist hanging, have been adopted by the federal cabinet, according to Shibli Faraz, Information Minister, in a post-cabinet meeting press conference.

Chemical Castration

According to the bill, "Chemical castration is a process duly notified by rules framed by the prime minister, whereby a person is rendered incapable of performing sexual intercourse for any period of his life, as may be determined by the court through administration of drugs which shall be conducted through a notified medical board".

The report says that it is a legal form of drug used to reduce sexual violence in countries like South Korea, Poland, Ukraine, Indonesia, and some states in the US.

Objections Concerning New Bill

Jamaat-i-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed criticized the bill, calling it un-Islamic and Sharia-compliant. He claimed that a rapist should be publicly hung since Sharia law makes no mention of castration.

Critics claim that a meager figure of only 4% of sexual assault and rape cases in Pakistan results in a conviction.

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