Chemical castration: the punishment for child rapists in Peru

Peru intends to impose mandatory chemical castration on people convicted of raping minors, President Pedro Castillo announced Saturday.

“Enough violence. The government will not tolerate sexual crimes against children, and perpetrators will not go unpunished,” Castillo said in a press conference, after denouncing the rape of a three-year-old girl that shocked the country.

Castillo cited Russia, Poland, South Korea, Indonesia and Moldova as countries punishing rapists with chemical castration.
This punishment is based on giving convicts drugs that suppress sexual desire, either as a preventive measure or to prevent the recurrence of crimes.

The adoption of the proposed chemical castration penalty by the president requires the approval of the Peruvian parliament.

According to the Peruvian Ministry of Women’s Rights, more than 21,000 minors were raped in the past four years, and during 2021 alone, 6,929 cases were registered.

In Peru, rapists of minors under the age of 14 are punished with life imprisonment.