Salvini calls for castration of young people – expert warns that this Court has decided: Trump does not enjoy immunity from accusations of election fraud

«A little girl is raped by seven Egyptians. Don’t tell me about tolerance and mistakes. “You should not be lenient with this horror, there is only one treatment: chemical castration,” writes Lega boss Matteo Salvini on X.

The reason for the post is that in the Sicilian city of Catania, a thirteen-year-old girl was raped by a group of men and boys in the presence of her boyfriend.

Salvini’s demand is not a novelty: after other gang rapes, such as the one in Palermo in August 2023, became public, he spoke out in favor of a law that would allow forced chemical castration. He now wants the Italian people to vote on it.

Chemical castration allowed in Switzerland

Swiss politicians are all too familiar with calls like Salvini’s. Eleven years ago, Pierre Rusconi, a former national councilor and SVP member, suggested an investigation into whether chemical castration should be introduced for pedophiles and rapists who have relapsed.

The Federal Council then argued that chemical castration of sex offenders has been practiced in Switzerland for decades. But he does not want perpetrators to always be chemically castrated if they repeat the crime.

Chemical castration without the consent of the person concerned is possible as a medical measure, but pointless or even dangerous. According to the Federal Council, castration could even be counterproductive in certain cases.

This argument of the Federal Council and the articles of the Civil Code to which it refers are still legally valid today. Chemical castration is extremely rare in Switzerland. Dirk Baier, head of the Institute for Delinquency and Crime Prevention at the ZHAW, assumes that only a low double-digit number of such cases occur each year in Switzerland.

Success not guaranteed

The goal of chemical castration is to reduce testosterone levels in sex offenders to castration levels. However, the assumption that such a reduction in testosterone levels leads to a significant decrease or complete extinction of sexual activity or sexual experience cannot be clearly confirmed on the basis of various studies.

A central motive of sex offenders is not only to satisfy their sexual urges, but also to exert dominance and power, Baier tells Watson. In the case of gang rape, there is also the motive of wanting to prove yourself as a ‘real man’ to the peers present. Baier explains:

Chemical castration is problematic because it promises a simple answer to a complex problem: sexual crimes are prevented if testosterone production is stopped or reduced – this is the assumption. Baier explains:

This treatment is overrated as an intervention measure; There is no scientific, experimentally validated evidence for the effectiveness of this measure, Baier said.

Forced castration in Poland and Macedonia

According to Baier, there are few positive aspects of chemical castration. Why does it remain at the forefront of public debate? Baier’s answer: “Politicians from mostly conservative or right-wing parties promote this intervention measure because it promises security. It is a measure that is very popular among certain population groups and should contribute to a greater sense of security.”

For example, forced castration is approved in Poland. In 2009, the Senate passed a new law against sex offenders who raped minors or committed incest with children. Since then, the perpetrators have had to undergo mandatory chemical castration after serving a prison sentence for their crime. A medication is used that suppresses hormone production.

In Macedonia, a law was also passed in 2014 that allows recidivist pedosexual offenders to be forced to undergo chemical castration.

Surgical castration, i.e. the removal of the genitals of pedosexual offenders, was even discussed in the Kazakh parliament on Monday. Although Kazakhstan already carries a life sentence for pedophile crime, some MPs are in favor of an even stricter penalty.