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By APD writer Alice
Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) deputies have recommended chemical castration as one of the penalties for those found guilty of committing sex crimes on children at their plenary session in Hanoi on May 27.
Emphasising the need to apply this form of punishment on child sexual abusers, deputy Nguyen Ngoc Phuong from Quang Binh province said chemical castration, which involves using a drug to lower the testosterone level in men to reduce their sexual activity, has been adopted in many countries, including Poland, Macedonia, South Korea, Moldova and Russia.
If Vietnam approves the addition to the law on fighting child sexual violence, the number of child abuse cases could drop by 50% in the years to come, Phuong stated.
Besides chemical castration, the lawmaker suggested further penalties for child sexual offenders, including increasing administrative fines, disclosing the identities of sexual offenders and listing their offenses in their CVs, to deter offenders and prevent recidivism as well as protect children.
Most child abusers are acquaintances or even parents of the victims. They take advantage of the children’s innocence to commit these crimes. Some have even repeated their offenses and threatened to kill the victims if they dare to report them, Phuong remarked, adding that it is essential for the NA to closely monitor the prevention of and fight against child abuse.
He stressed the importance of the implementation of policies and laws on child abuse prevention and control, saying children were the country’s future and they needed protection.
It is necessary to set up child friendly courtrooms to help not only make the victim feel comfortable, but also ensure their identity is protected, he added.
Tang Thi Ngoc Mai, a deputy from Tra Vinh province, called for increasing collaboration between families and schools in preventing child abuse. Specifically, children need close supervision from their grandparents and relatives. At the same time, they should be equipped with necessary skills to prevent abuse, she said.
Deputy Duong Minh Tuan from Ba Ria-Vung Tau province noted that Vietnam’s legal framework was not strong enough to protect children from all forms of violence, resulting in a rise in child abuse cases and leaving a significant impact on victims, both physically and mentally.
Accordingly, he suggested imposing heavier fines and sanctions on offenders.
Data released at the session showed that the country had uncovered over 8,440 child abuse cases between January 2015 and June 2019, with more than 8,700 child victims. Of these, nearly 6,500 were sexual abuse cases.
During the first half of last year, up to 1,400 children were reported as victims of child abuse, which is equivalent to some 80% of the total crimes against children recorded in 2018.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
