ISLAMABAD – Pakistan will now chemically castrate convicted serial sex-offenders after the South Asian country promulgated a new anti-rape bill this week.
The stringent punishment is part of sweeping a new legislation sparked by outcry over the gang-rape of a woman on Lahore-Sialkot motorway this year.
“The provision of the chemical castration of repeat as well as first-time sex offenders… was added in the Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020”, the President’s office confirmed on Wednesday after Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet approved the legislation last month.
Under the Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020, all cases related to rape will be wrapped up by the special courts within four months, according to a statement from the president’s office.
Anti-rape crisis cells will be established to conduct medico-legal examination of rape victims within six hours of the incident.
A nationwide registry of repeated sexual offenders will also be established.
The law also prohibits revealing a rape victim’s identity, declaring it a punishable offense.
Chemical castration involves using medication to reduce testosterone and has been used for pedophiles in Indonesia since 2016.
