Government open to use chemical castration to tackle sex crimes if proven effective: Shanmugam

Published Sep 08, 2026, 07:55 PM

Updated Sep 08, 2026, 07:56 PM

The Government is open to chemical castration if proven effective in reducing sexual crimes, but current evidence is inconclusive, said Minister Shanmugam.

Singapore enforces heavy penalties for sexual offences against minors, including long jail terms and caning, with recent laws enhancing protection.

Police keep a non-public sex offender registry shared with agencies for child safety; plans to expand criminal record screening for roles involving children are under consideration.

SINGAPORE - The Government is open to considering measures including pharmacological anti-androgen treatments, also known as chemical castrations, if it is clear such measures are effective in bringing down crime rates.

Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam was responding in a written reply on Sept 8 to a question from Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) about whether the Ministry of Home Affairs had evaluated measures such as pharmacological anti-androgen treatments, and a sex offender register to deter sexual offences against children and young people.

Senior Minister Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security, said the Government takes a serious view of sexual crimes and imposes stiff penalties, especially when the victims are minors.

He said there are already heavy penalties that act as a deterrent .

These include up to 20 years’ jail and caning for rape or penetrative sexual assault involving a minor under 14 years old without consent, and up to five years’ jail, a fine and caning for those who molest a minor under 14.

If the minor was hurt or restrained, the offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and caned.

Shanmugam added there have been several legislative amendments over the years, including the new offence of exploitative sexual penetration of minors between 16 and 18 years old introduced in 2019, and the increasing of the maximum jail term for molest in 2021.

Most recently, the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection commenced in July, allowing for a serious violent sex offender to be released only if they are assessed to no longer pose a threat to the public.

He said the Government is open to considering measures such as chemical castrations if it is clear they are effective in bringing down crime rates.

However, the evidence is still not conclusive, he said.

Cases of sexual assault in Singapore are increasing , with 762 cases of molestation and 261 rape cases in the first six months of 2026.

This is an average of at least one rape and four molests per day.

On the introduction of a sex offender registry, Shanmugam said the police already maintains a non-public record of persons convicted of serious offences, including sexual offences.

This is shared with selected agencies, including the Ministry of Social and Family Development and the Ministry of Education, when screening those applying to roles involving sustained contact with children and young persons.

Shanmugam said such an approach balances the need to safeguard children and the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of ex-offenders.

Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming said in Parliament on Sept 8 the Government was considering an expansion of criminal record screening of prospective employees applying for roles involving sustained contact with children and young persons, including in non-regulated sectors.

The move comes after two young children were sexually abused by a self-styled “religious influencer” who conducted religious classes at a mosque without permission.

Shanmugam said more details about this possible expansion will be shared when ready.

David Sun is The Straits Times’ crime correspondent. He has a background in criminology and is a licensed private investigator.

Singapore Parliament

发布于 2026 年 9 月 8 日晚上 7:55

更新于2026年9月8日晚上7:56

尚穆根部长表示，如果化学阉割被证明能有效减少性犯罪，政府对此持开放态度，但目前的证据尚无定论。

新加坡对性侵未成年人的犯罪行为处以重罚，包括长期监禁和鞭刑，最近的法律还加强了对未成年人的保护。

警方维护着一份非公开的性犯罪者登记册，并与儿童安全机构共享；目前正在考虑扩大对涉及儿童的职位进行犯罪记录筛查的计划。

新加坡——如果明确表明药物抗雄激素治疗（也称为化学阉割）能够有效降低犯罪率，政府愿意考虑采取此类措施。

内政部长尚穆根于9月8日以书面答复的方式回应了严燕松（阿裕尼集选区）提出的问题，即内政部是否评估过诸如药物抗雄激素治疗和性犯罪者登记册等措施，以阻止针对儿童和青少年的性犯罪。

兼任国家安全统筹部长的尚穆根高级部长表示，政府严肃对待性犯罪，并会处以严厉的惩罚，尤其是在受害者是未成年人的情况下。

他说，现有的严厉处罚已经起到了威慑作用。

对于未经同意强奸或对 14 岁以下未成年人进行性侵犯的行为，最高可判处 20 年监禁和鞭刑；对于猥亵 14 岁以下未成年人的行为，最高可判处 5 年监禁、罚款和鞭刑。

如果未成年人受到伤害或被限制行动自由，犯罪者可被判处最高 10 年监禁并处以鞭刑。

尚穆根补充说，多年来，立法方面进行了多次修订，包括 2019 年引入了对 16 至 18 岁未成年人进行剥削性性侵犯的新罪行，以及 2021 年提高了猥亵罪的最高刑期。

最近，加强公共保护刑罚于 7 月开始实施，规定只有在评估认为严重暴力性犯罪者不再对公众构成威胁的情况下，才能将其释放。

他表示，如果化学阉割等措施能够有效降低犯罪率，政府愿意考虑采取这些措施。

但他表示，目前的证据还不足以得出结论。

新加坡的性侵犯案件正在增加，2026 年上半年发生了 762 起猥亵案和 261 起强奸案。

平均每天至少发生一起强奸案和四起性骚扰案。

关于引入性犯罪者登记制度，尚穆根表示，警方已经保存了一份非公开记录，记录了被判犯有严重罪行（包括性犯罪）的人员信息。

在筛选申请与儿童和青少年持续接触的职位的人员时，我们会将此信息分享给包括社会和家庭发展部以及教育部在内的特定机构。

尚穆根表示，这种做法平衡了保护儿童的需要和对前罪犯的改造和重新融入社会的努力。

内政部高级政务部长吴佩明9月8日在国会表示，政府正在考虑扩大对申请与儿童和青少年持续接触的职位（包括非监管行业）的求职者的犯罪记录审查范围。

此前，一名自称“宗教影响者”的人未经许可在清真寺举办宗教课程，并对两名幼童进行了性虐待。

尚穆根表示，有关此次可能扩张的更多细节将在准备就绪后公布。

大卫·孙是《海峡时报》的犯罪记者。他拥有犯罪学背景，并且是一名持证私人侦探。

新加坡国会