Thailand has approved chemical castration for the treatment of sex offenders in an attempt to cut down re-offences.
Criminals who have been found to commit more sex offences following their release will have the option to receive an injection that lowers their levels of testosterone in exchange for a lighter sentence in prison.
To undergo the procedure, the offenders will require the formal approval of two doctors and will have to be monitored for 10 years and wear electronic bracelets.
The bill, which was passed in March, was approved earlier this week by 145 senators without any abstentions. Another house vote remains to take place before the royal endorsement.
Between 2013 and 2020, 16,413 convicted sex offenders were released from prisons in Thailand, among which 4,848 re-offended.
If the plan moves forward, Thailand will be part of a small group of countries performing chemical castration including, Russia, Estonia, Poland, South Korea and some US states.
Justice Minister, Somsak Thepsuthin, said:
"I want this law to pass quickly. I don't want to see news about bad things happening to women again."
Director of the Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, Jaded Chouwilai, noted that the use of chemical castration would not effectively address sex crime.
He said:
"Convicts should be rehabilitated by changing their mindset while in prison. To use punishment like execution or injected castration reinforces the idea that offender can no longer be rehabilitated."
A year ago, Pakistan also announced that rapists charged with repeat offences would undergo castration.
[Based on reporting by: The Daily Mail]
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