Macedonia seeks chemical castration for paedophiles

Macedonia's conservative government wants to toughen the laws against paedophilia, raising the maximum sentence to life imprisonment and imposing chemical castration on repeat offenders.

Draft legislation presented on Thursday would also offer reduced sentences to first-time offenders if they agreed to voluntary chemical castration.

The current law allows for a maximum 15-year sentence for severe sexual offenses against minors. Paedophilia is a growing problem in Macedonia, and the government proposal follows warnings from a leading child protection group that current laws are not strict enough to discourage repeat offenders.

No date has yet been set for a parliamentary debate on the proposed law.