ANKARA: Turkey’s government said on Tuesday it would consider introducing chemical castration for child abusers after several cases of sexual assault on children have sparked public outcry.

“The courts will decide on the use and duration of chemical castration to limit or eliminate sexual desire. We wish to establish this again within a few days,” said Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul.

The government was putting the issue back on its agenda, he added.

Turkey introduced a measure to chemically castrate those convicted of sex crimes in 2016, but the country’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, stopped its implementation last August, saying its definition and limit were “vague”.

In the latest case to cause widespread outrage in the country, a 20-year-old man has been accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old in the southern province of Adana.

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded 66 years in prison for the man after the alleged assault at a wedding on February 10, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

On Monday, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said a commission on preventing child abuse would be set up with six ministers including Gul.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2018