In response to outrage over the brutal gang rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in April, Indonesian President Joko Widodo approved on Wednesday new punishments for sex offenders found guilty of abusing children.
Effective immediately, the maximum penalty is now death and chemical castration, and after being released from prison, convicted pedophiles could be ordered to wear electronic monitoring devices, Agence France-Presse reports. "This regulation is intended to overcome the crisis caused by sexual violence against children," Widodo said. "Sexual crimes against children are extraordinary crimes, because they threaten the lives of children."
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