Kyrgyz president calls bill on convicted pedophiles' castration ineffective - press service
BISHKEK. July 26 (Interfax) - Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev has refused to sign into law a bill that permits the use of chemical castration to punish child sex crimes, the presidential press service told Interfax on Friday.
Describing the proposed initiative as "temporary and ineffective," the president "called for actual measures to tighten punishment [for such crimes]".
"The application of this law will not tighten punishment for persons who commit these grave crimes, which provoke rightful anger and condemnation in society," the press service said.
"The efficiency of efforts to combat child sex crimes can be increased by further toughening criminal penalty, as well as giving life sentences for these crimes committed against both young children and underage citizens," it said.
Kyrgyzstan has seen an upsurge in child sexual abuse rates in the past few years, prompting parliamentarians to adopt a bill that allows the use of chemical castration to punish convicted pedophiles. However, several human rights organizations criticized this measure and said that it would not be able to help sort out the problem. Eighty-three child sex crimes were registered in Kyrgyzstan in 2011, and 73 in the first six months of 2012.
Unofficial reports put the number of child sexual abuse instances recorded since the beginning of 2013 at more than 25.
Analysts have said that such crimes are committed mostly against children aged below 12 years old who usually come from dysfunctional families.