Is Chemical Castration Effective for Child Sexual Offenders?

For the first time, in May 25th 2016, Indonesia introduced using chemichal castration on child sex offenders. It's got in Peraturan Pemerintah Pengganti Undang-Undang Nomor 1 Tahun 2016 which now becomes Undang-Undang Nomor 17 Tahun 2016. The government seems to have in-agreement attitude to provide additional sanction for criminals of child sex offenders through chemical castration.

The Center of Sex Offender Management notes only 12 to 24 percent of child sex offenders are repeat offenders. This static, it is important to note, includes other crimes non-violent, non-sexual crimes. At the same time, quotes studies of Yello Dyno reporting that more than 90 percent of convicted pedophiles, following release from prison, are arrested again for the same offense.

Nevertheless, providing chemical castration is not a fair way-out to victims and there are no significant relations between chemical castration and reduced numbers of child offences, there is no science effect, that victims will be recovered by additional sanction of chemical castration to the child sex offenders.

Prof. Dr. Harkristuti Harkrisnow S.H., M.A (professor of law in Universitas Indonesia) said chemical castration could be boomerang. Child sex offenders are considered to have abnormal sex drive or high sex libido. In fact, not necessarily all cases of sexual violence perpetrated by abusers who have abnormal sex drive.

There are many factors of violent crimes victimizing children and we have been growing calls for an effective way than chemical castration to solve this problems. First, chemical castration is no longer effective after it is discontinued. 

World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry guidelines suggest that combined psychotherapy and pharmacological therapy is associated with better efficacy compared with either treatment as monotherapy. Furthermore, chemical castration may have serious side effects. 

Drugs such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) or we known as "Suntik KB" and cyproterone acetate (CPA), when administered for chemical castration have beneficial effect on skeletal growth and bone maturation, brain function, and cardiovascular biology. Therefore, chemical castration is associated with various side effect, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, impaired glucose and lipid metabolism, depression, infertility and anemia can also occur.

Article 7 International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR 1966)," No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation" and Article 16 Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT 1984)," 

Each State Party shall undertake to prevent in any territory under its jurisdiction other acts of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment which do not amount to torture as defined in article I, when such acts are committed by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. In particular, the obligations contained in articles 10, 11, 12 and 13 shall apply with the substitution for references to torture of references to other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment",

Reference

• Susan Scutti, "Does Chemical Castration Help Child Sex Offenders Control Their Urges?", https://www.medicaldaily.com/chemical-castration-sex-offenders-386339.
• "Germany: Anti-torture Monitors Want "definitive end" to Surgical Castration of Sex Offenders", Council of Europe: Human Rights Europe.
• Joo Young Lee and Kang Su Cho, "Chemical Castration for Sexual Offenders: Physicians Views", ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
• Review of Laws Providing for Chemical Castration in Criminal Justice, Journal of Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, Jakarta, 2016, pg. 3-10.