Prosecutors Want an Alleged Child Rapist Chemically Castrated and Killed

Prosecutors in Indonesia are calling for a school teacher who stands accused of raping at least 13 of his female students, many of whom became pregnant as a result, to be chemically castrated and handed the death penalty.

A case that provoked widespread outrage in Indonesia last month, 36-year-old Herry Wirawan stands accused of multiple charges of rape, violence and sexual assault against minors—each carrying a prison sentence of 15 years. 

Fuelling the public outcry is the fact that at least nine babies were born as a result of the rapes, which impacted 13 female students aged between 13 and 16 who attended Islamic boarding schools he ran. 

“We demand that the defendant be given the death penalty,” lead prosectutor Asep N Mulyana told local reporters who were gathered outside the court in the city of Bandung on Tuesday. “We have also asked the judges to hand down additional punishments—including the defendant’s identity being disclosed to the public—as well as chemical castration.” 

Chemical castration, the use of drugs to reduce hormone levels and libido, is practised across Europe and the U.S. South Korea became the first Asian country to allow chemical castration when it passed a law approving the practice in 2011. Pakistan also introduced chemical castration late last year as a possible punishment for serial rapists under new laws that also called for faster trials of suspected sex offenders. 

In 2016, Indonesia's parliament passed a controversial law authorising chemical castration following the brutal case of 14-year-old girl Yuyun, who was walking home from school in her village in Sumatra when she was dragged into a forest and gang raped by a group of 14 men. 

There is growing concern in Indonesia at the number of cases of sexual violence perpetrated against women and children, particularly in educational settings. President Joko Widodo has previously said he believed chemical castration would act as a deterrent to this trend.

While some Indonesians have supported their government’s call for harsh punishments, the decision has drawn criticism from medical professionals, activists and rights groups who argue that chemical castration is not only inhumane, it’s also ineffective in deterring offenders. 

One convicted child rapist was sentenced to chemical castration in 2019, but authorities in Indonesia struggled to find doctors willing to carry out the procedure. The Indonesian Doctor’s Association objected to the punishment, saying that the procedure violated the Code of Medical Ethics and would be too risky. 

“It only appeals to the public’s emotional urges without addressing the flaws of the Indonesian legal system,” the Indonesian Women’s Commission also said in a public statement published on their website in response to the controversial 2019 chemical castration ruling.  

In January 2021, new guidelines were issued by the Indonesian president that tightened the manner and circumstances under which criminals could be chemically castrated. 

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