Key Points
- Evidence on the treatment’s effectiveness remains inconclusive
- High-risk offenders face detention of up to 20 years
- Singapore is also considering screening for child-contact roles
ISLAMABAD: Singapore is considering medical castration as a possible measure to curb sexual assaults, but the government says it will require clear evidence that the treatment can effectively reduce crime before taking the policy forward.
Senior Minister and Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam told Singapore’s Parliament that the government remained open to pharmacological anti-androgen treatment only if a study proves it effective in curtailing crime rates.
The measure is commonly referred to as medical or chemical castration, or hormone treatment. The evidence so far has remained inconclusive.
Shanmugam was responding to a parliamentary question from MP Gerald Giam Yean Song on whether penalties for major sexual offences against children should be reviewed and whether anti-androgen treatment and a sex offender register could provide additional deterrence.
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Singapore already imposes severe penalties for sexual offences involving minors. Rape or penetrative sexual assault against a child below 14 without consent carries a mandatory prison term of at least eight years and up to 20 years, along with a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.
Enhanced public protection in Singapore
The government has also introduced the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (SEPP), which took effect on July 31 for people convicted of serious violent or sexual offences who pose a substantial risk of committing further offences.
Under the protection regime, courts can order detention for between five and 20 years. Before release, courts conduct an updated psychiatric risk assessment. Release is allowed only if the Home Affairs Minister assesses that the person no longer poses a threat to the public.
Shanmugam said police already maintain a non-public record of people convicted of serious offences, including sexual offences, and share relevant information with selected agencies for screening. The government is also considering expanding screening for roles involving sustained contact with children and young people.
Singapore has progressively strengthened its legal framework for sexual offences involving children, including introducing a new offence covering exploitative sexual penetration of minors aged 16 to below 18 in 2019 and increasing penalties for outrage of modesty in 2021.
The latest measures combine tougher detention arrangements for high-risk offenders with preventive screening. Medical castration remains under consideration, with the government stressing that evidence of its effectiveness in reducing sexual assaults is not yet conclusive.
