A Youth Parliament member today proposed chemical castration as the capital punishment for child sex offenders or paedophiles in the country.

Mohd Firdaus Ahmad, a representative from Kedah when debating a motion that the government enhance current laws and take drastic measures to curb crime involving child sex, made the proposal during the Youth Parliament session in Kuala Lumpur today.

Mohd Firdaus said severe punishment would serve as a deterrent to others and thus have an impact in the prevention of such crime.

“In May, Indonesian President Joko Widodo was reported to have authorised chemical castration for convicted child sex offenders. Such punishment is also practiced in a number of countries like South Korea, Poland, Russia and some states in the United States.

According to Wikipedia, chemical castration when used on men can reduce sex drive, compulsive sexual fantasies, and capacity for sexual arousal.

“Such punishment can therefore instill fear among offenders,” he said.

Earlier, when tabling the motion, Spiritual and Religious Committee chairperson of the Malaysian Youth Parliament, Muhamad Ridhwan Muhamad Rosli from Selangor, had proposed to set up a special data base for paedophiles for public reference.

He said the data base need to provide an online tracking system or learn the profile of the offender, especially when they apply for employment at childcare centres or schools.

“Such measures have been implemented in many countries so that parents can refer or check their profile online if there are doubts on their behaviour,” he said.

Members of the Youth Parliament approved two proposals, including the amendment of Section 233 of the Communication and Multimedia Act and the suggestion for government to take a stand on defending the national sovereignty in the South China Sea.

- Bernama