Council of Ministers to discuss bill on chemical castration of rapists

The Council of Ministers will debate the draft law on compulsory chemical castration for rapists of minors, adolescents and women this Wednesday, April 20, as announced by the Minister of Justice and Rights Humans, Felix Chero. This rule will be priority A1 at the beginning of the meeting of President Pedro Castillo and his ministers to prevent further cases such as that of the a three-year-old Chiclayan girl who was kidnapped and raped by Juan Antonio Enríquez García, 'the Chiclayo Monster'.

“We have the project ready, we must be approving it in the Council of Ministers on Wednesday and we must present it to the Legislative for analysis and discussion,” he said in a dialogue with Radio Exitosa.

“I think this topic leads us to deep reflection. There is a widespread reaction, a widespread social reproach to these abhorrent acts against child rape,” he added.

In the same vein, the head of Justice gave alarming figures on those convicted of violation of the liberty of minors.

“As of January 2021, 9,674 people have been sentenced (for statutory rape), which represents 11.15% of the prison population. We estimate that in Peru there are between 700 and 800 cases of violation of the sexual freedom of minors annually,” he explained.

He reiterated that the Government has already prepared this draft law on compulsory chemical castration and that it would only be necessary for the Council of Ministers to approve it. “It will depend a lot on the objective, reasoned analysis made by the Congress of the Republic,” he said.

In addition, in 2018, this law had already been passed unanimously, however, the Board of Spokespersons and the Standing Committee withdrew it.

Something that worries many is the expense of chemical castration of sexual rapists, but Chero assured that we must put ourselves in a weighting between the dignity and integrity of minors.

“We have to put ourselves in a right weighting between dignity, the integrity of minors who are outraged, violated and an expense that means applying this chemical castration,” he said.

On the other hand, Felix Chero spoke about the possibility of implementing the death penalty in Peru. “The death penalty is populist because we all know that we are attached to the San José pact. If we renounce the San José pact, it implies a one-year prior procedure and implies that we would no longer be able to access the protection of the fundamental rights of the Inter-American system,” he explained.

President Pedro Castillo, for his part, expressed this morning that he hopes “that the Congress of the Republic will not turn its back on a popular cry”.

“As a government we have an enormous responsibility to protect the lives of Peruvians. That life that is above any political interest or calculation. It is our duty to do so with a sense of urgency and determination. There is no room for inaction here, life is above all else,” said Castillo Terrones.

Dr. Alberto Tejada, former Minister of Health and urologist, said that “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”

To achieve chemical castration, a drug must be applied permanently, 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.

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