Government may consider chemical castration for sex offenders, if proven effective: Shanmugam

The Government remains open to considering the use of chemical castration in combating sex crimes, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in a written reply to a parliamentary question on Tuesday (Sept 8).

Aljunied GRC MP Gerald Giam asked if the Government would review statutory penalties and increase deterrence in dealing with sexual offences against children and youth.

"We remain open to considering measures including pharmacological anti-androgen treatments, also known as chemical castration, if it is clear that such measures are effective in bringing down crime rates," Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security, said.

"So far, the evidence is not conclusive on that."

He had earlier stressed that the Government takes a serious view of sexual crimes, highlighting the heightened penalties when victims are minors.

If found guilty of rape involving a minor under the age of 14, perpetrators face between eight to 20 years' jail and at least 12 strokes of the cane.

For outrage of modesty against a minor under the age of 14, it is up to five years' jail, fine and caning, he said, adding that the penalty is higher if the minor was hurt or restrained.

"These are heavy penalties, which send a strong signal to deter such offences," Senior Minister Shanmugam commented.

He pointed out the Sentence for Enhanced Public Protection (SEPP) which came into effect on July 31, 2026.

Under the SEPP, offenders who have committed serious violent or sexual offences, including rape and sexual penetration of minors, and who pose a substantial risk of reoffending will be detained for a minimum term between five and 20 years.

Only when the Ministry of Home Affairs determines — with the help of a psychiatrist — that they are no longer a threat to the public will they be released.

Register of those convicted of serious offences

He also said that the police currently maintain a record of individuals who have been convicted of serious offences, including sexual ones.

However, this list remains non-public and is only shared with selected agencies such as the Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Education, where roles require high contact with children and youth.

Individuals applying to roles in such agencies would be screened as part of the approach that balances safeguarding children and reintegrating ex-offenders into society.

"The Government has been considering the possible expansion of the scope of screening to cover more types of roles involving contact with children and young persons, including whether to introduce voluntary screening for unregulated sectors," SM Shanmugam said.

"We will share more details when ready."

khooyihang@asiaone.com

内政部长尚穆根周二（9月8日）在对议会质询的书面答复中表示，政府仍然对使用化学阉割来打击性犯罪持开放态度。

阿裕尼集选区议员严燕松询问政府是否会检讨法定处罚力度，加大对性侵儿童和青少年犯罪的威慑力。

“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，我们仍然愿意考虑采取这些措施，”同时也是国家安全统筹部长的尚穆根表示。

“到目前为止，证据尚不足以得出确凿结论。”

他早前曾强调，政府对性犯罪持严肃态度，并着重指出，如果受害者是未成年人，则会加重处罚。

如果被判犯有强奸未满 14 岁未成年人的罪行，犯罪者将面临 8 至 20 年的监禁和至少 12 下鞭刑。

他说，对14岁以下未成年人进行猥亵行为，最高可判处五年监禁、罚款和鞭刑；如果未成年人受到伤害或被限制行动，处罚会更重。

“这些处罚非常严厉，能够发出强烈的信号，起到震慑此类违法行为的作用，”高级部长尚穆根评论道。

他指出，《加强公共保护刑罚法》（SEPP）于 2026 年 7 月 31 日生效。

根据《性犯罪者保护计划》，犯有严重暴力或性犯罪（包括强奸和性侵未成年人）且有再次犯罪重大风险的罪犯，将被监禁至少 5 至 20 年。

只有当内政部在精神科医生的帮助下确定他们不再对公众构成威胁时，他们才会被释放。

严重犯罪者登记册

他还表示，警方目前保留着被判犯有严重罪行（包括性犯罪）的个人的记录。

然而，这份名单仍然不对外公开，​​只与社会和家庭发展部、教育部等特定机构共享，这些机构的工作需要与儿童和青少年进行密切接触。

申请此类机构职位的人员将接受筛选，这是在保护儿童和帮助前罪犯重新融入社会之间取得平衡的方法的一部分。

“政府一直在考虑扩大筛查范围，以涵盖更多与儿童和青少年接触的岗位类型，包括是否对非监管行业引入自愿筛查，”SM Shanmugam表示。

“准备就绪后，我们将分享更多细节。”

khooyihang@asiaone.com