Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Many countries have practiced awarding the gelding punishment to sex offenders, so as to have a deterrent effect on the perpetrators, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indra Parawansa said.

"I have spoken many times about imposing penalties related to castration as punishment for sex offenders since 2000, and many countries have practiced it," Khofifah said on Thursday.

She reiterated that castration can have a deterrent effect, because cases of sexual abuse of children are now increasingly sadistic and alarming.

"Therefore, the government should take this decision to improve the protection of children in the future," the Social Affairs minister said, adding that castration could be done by any means, such as libido neurosurgery, injection, and lubrication.

According to her, many countries, such as the United States, South Korea, Britain, Russia, Germany, Turkey, Denmark, Poland, and Czech had used this kind of a punishment.

She said Germany has practiced castration since 1902, and South Korea since 2012.

The punishment had been used increasingly by the German government under the Third Reich dictator Adolf Hitler.

At that time, thousands of sex offenders were castrated by force. Nazi Germany also conducted various experiments in concentration camps to come up with a faster and cheaper way to conduct castration.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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