Illustration: Sun Ying

Editor's Note:

The South Korean Ministry of Justice announced last week it would use chemical castration on a repeat sex offender, who violently sexually assaulted four children under the age of 13. The case has been hotly discussed in China and some are calling China to introduce chemical castration, also used in some US states and European countries. Do such measures work? Should they be introduced in China? The Global Times invited three commentators to contribute their thoughts.

Criminals deserve human rights too

By Lin Xue

In recent years, many countries have used chemical castration to deal with sex offenders. But the social issues it brings with it and the problem of human rights abuses raise debate.

The first use of chemical castration occurred in the US with the purpose of lowering men's testosterone. Later it was approved for use as a treatment for sexual offenders.

In 2009, the then British prime minister Gordon Brown issued a public apology to the late Alan Turing, the father of computing, who was convicted of consensual adult homosexual acts at a time when they were still illegal, and was forced to undergo chemical castration. He suffered from depression and committed suicide.

In order to avoid such tragedies, most countries adopting chemical castration regulate that sex offenders must voluntarily chose chemical castration rather than being forced to do so, and it is not a means of punishment but a means for treatment.

Even so, the effects of chemical castration are not that satisfactory.

Lowering men's testosterone goes against nature. Reducing the sex drive and capacity for sexual arousal by medical means may trigger more violent behavior by criminals. As a means to tackle sexual offenses, chemical castration can't really fundamentally awe these criminals.

As the society is developing and people's awareness of civilization and rule of law is increasing, society has abolished many brutal punishments. These are all based on the point that despite criminals' misdeeds, they are still human and have basic human rights.

The principle of China's Criminal Law is to punish crimes and protect the people. While it punishes the criminals, it also educates them so that they can correct their errors and make a new life. This can't be achieved simply by chemical castration. It goes contrary to the idea of a humane rule of law in China.

The purpose of the law is to maintain justice and protect human rights. How to balance the two needs careful consideration.

The author is a lawyer at Beijing Lianggao Law Firm. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

Castration inhumane, surgical or chemical

China has a long history of surgical castration. In pre-modern China, men were castrated in order to serve as eunuchs. They were hurt physically and mentally. It was a malformed product of China's imperial society. But with the collapse of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), this cruel practice came to its end.   

Chemical castration is considered an alternative to surgical castration. It is less invasive and doesn't physically hurt people.

The means was first adopted in the US on rapists, through using injections to reduce the production of the male sex hormone testosterone.

It's still controversial whether chemical castration has side effects. Some research has concluded that it may damage the liver and some other organs. And repeated estrogen injections may permanently destroy men's sexuality, making it functionally no different from surgical castration.

Sexual assault is not only a physical problem but also a mental one. Therefore, to root out sexual crime, it's important to help offenders to change their thinking through education and moralization.

The sex impulse is not the sole source of sexual sins. Therefore, chemical means could help to suppress the sex impulse, but forcefully suppressing the impulse while people couldn't be satisfied mentally may lead to more severe results. 

A puritan mood clouded the Chinese society at the beginning of the new China. Society has adopted stricter moral standards toward sexual activities.

However, with the reform and opening-up, Chinese views toward sex are more open and diversified. Sexual crime is a problem that an open society should face up to.

Sexual assaults are bitterly hateful to all, especially assaults on minors.

In China we have relevant laws to punish these offenders. These punishments are based on respect for their rights. They are punished accordingly and have the opportunity to mend their lives and return to society.

But destroying the ability to have sex forever by chemical castration is too severe a punishment.

China should enhance the crackdown on sexual crimes within the framework of current legal system, but we also need to adopt healthier sexual attitudes.

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Yu Jincui based on an interview with Li Yinhe, a sociologist renowned for her sex studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. yujincui@globaltimes.com.cn

Repeat offenders pose dire threat to kids

By Zhu Qianqin

I was shocked when I read a report on sexual assault on girls recently.

The report, produced by the Women's Federation and the People's Procuratorate of Guangdong Province, pointed out that sexual assault accounted for 75.34 percent of reported crimes against girls in the province. It uncovered that 2,506 girls under 18 had been sexually assaulted between 2008 to June 2011, 49.28 percent of them younger than 14. 

Sexual assault can leave lifelong physical and mental scars on children, and is a disaster for the victims and their families. With such shocking figures, how to protect the innocent from sexual assault has become an urgent question. I believe South Korea is on the right track.

Sexual assaults on children are not an action prompted by the impulse of the moment, but a continuous crime fostered by a distorted perception of sex.

In most cases, sex offenders will assault several children, or repeatedly assault one child, often in their own care. Pedophiles often reoffend after being released from imprisonment because of their uncontrolled sex drive and sexual fantasies.

The absence of supposed guardians and a lack of sex education may be blamed for the shocking figures, which only cover the reported cases and may be the tip of the iceberg. But it will take a long time to improve the situation, especially in the rural areas. So punishing offenders severely and effectively is urgent. 

Chemical castration has been used throughout Europe, and has had some effects. Evidence from Scandinavia suggests that chemical castration can cut rates of reoffending from over 40 percent to 5 percent. Several states in the US such as California, Florida and Georgia, and countries like Russia, Israel, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, South Korea all approved the use of chemical castration on those who sexually assault young children.

Nowadays, when I log on QQ or browse the Internet, various cases of sexual assaults on children grab my attention. As China is seeing an increasing number of such reports, perhaps it's time to adopt measures already used elsewhere.

Chemical castration is new to China. The legal, ethical, and technical aspects of it all need to be debated. But it might be the right way to help protect children.

The author is a freelance writer in Beijing. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn