New penalties
In Kazakhstan, on 17 October, a law officially enters into force, which provides for Mandatory chemical castration of persons convicted of paedophilia.
The procedure will be carried out by six months before release from prison.
The law was signed by the President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and it aims to Reduce the number of repeat offences against minors.
How castration will take place
It is not about surgery, but about the so-called chemical castration - administration of special drugs that temporarily block the production of sex hormones and reduce sexual desire.
The effect of the procedure lasts for several months, and after it is stopped, the effect of the drugs disappears over time.
The decision to castrate is made by by medical opinion and court decision.
Control after dismissal
After serving their sentence, such persons will be under the supervision of medical and law enforcement authorities.
The Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan emphasised that the procedure is performed only for medical reasons and under the supervision of specialists.
Context.
Kazakhstan became one of the first Central Asian countries to introduced forced chemical castration as a form of prevention of sexual offences against children.
A similar practice exists in several European countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, where it is used as an alternative to life imprisonment for repeat offenders.
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