Indonesia approves chemical castration, death penalty for child sex abuse

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."

Under previous laws, the maximum sentence for rape, including of a minor, was 14 years in jail. In the case of the 14-year-old girl raped and murdered in April, seven teens, all either 16 or 17 years old, have been arrested. The girl was followed by a drunken mob while she walked home from school on the island of Sumatra; three days later, her naked body was found tied up in a wooded area.

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