Chemical castration for rapists: What is the proposal announced by Pedro Castillo?

This afternoon, the government of Pedro Castillo surprised locals and strangers by proposing compulsory chemical castration for rapists of minors, adolescents and women. With regard to the case of abduction and rape of a three-year-old girl that occurred a few days ago in Chiclayo.

However, this measure has been proposed previously without success due to the difficulties of its application and the ineffectiveness in preventing sexual assaults, according to Alberto Tejada, former Minister of Health and urologist.

“Obviously, this initiative of the president (chemical castration for rapists) is a public feeling. They seek to generate punishment on the aggressor. However, this proposal is not new; similar proposals have already existed year after year. The issue here is feasibility and effectiveness, and whether it is the solution to the problem,” he said in an interview with Canal N.

WHAT IS CHEMICAL CASTRATION?

Chemical castration is a procedure in which, through injectable substances, the hormonal axis that man has at the level of the brain is blocked, resulting in the loss of libido or sex drive. The effect of these substances begins to be felt only 28 days after application.

Alberto Tejada explained that in order to achieve chemical castration, a drug must be permanently applied, either monthly, quarterly or semi-annually, thus reducing testosterone levels in the individual, in this case in the aggressor. “It's as if a person is diabetic and they have to be aware of giving them insulin to have their sugar under control ,” he said.

“Therefore, we would be subject to continuous and indeterminate use of the drug. In addition, supervision is needed for this to be effective. This is why it has not been viable for a long time, apart from constitutional principles,” he added.

Along these lines, the specialist stated that it is almost impossible to control the continuous application of chemicals within the prisons of Peru. “The complicated thing is the cost and vigilance of the drugs arriving inside a prison, where there are very complicated logistics. We understand that the prison system has enormous food and humanitarian shortcomings, among others,” he said.

“I don't know if in our country it will be effective over time, understanding that these chemicals must be taken for life. It's not something I give to the patient and the effect is consolidated,” he continued.

IT'S NOT THE SOLUTION

The former Minister of Health considered that, although testosterone has an influence on the sex drive, desire and energy of every man, chemical castration is not the solution to the problem. He stressed that the Government would be mitigating with this proposal the underlying problem, which is the mental health of sexual offenders.

“The problem with rapists is not in their genitals or in their hormones, but in their brains. So the desire to punish a rapist (with chemical castration for rapists) tries to mitigate a fundamental issue, because it has been seen that many of them, have either been raped or may be repeat rapists,” he said.

“Behind them are mental health issues that need to be addressed. This problem (rape) should be addressed more by this approach, and not by a hormonal issue. Lowering libido does not defocus them from committing their crimes, but requires specialized care in psychiatry,” he said.

CONGRESS APPROVAL

Pedro Castillo indicated that the feasibility of this measure should be included in the Penal Code and that the approval of the Congress of the Republic will be required for its legality, as has already been done in Russia, the United States (seven States), Poland, South Korea, Indonesia and Moldova, where it is applied.

“We urge the Congress of the Republic to support concrete measures in favor of the most vulnerable, because we cannot continue to tolerate these violent acts that damage our integrity as a society and destroy the lives of the defenseless,” he said.

The Head of State assured that they are vigilant of the state of health of the injured minor in Chiclayo and that, if necessary, it has been arranged, through the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, that she be transferred with her parents to the city of Lima, to ensure her rehabilitation and psychological support, in addition to legal advice and free legal defense that are available to the family.

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