Pedophilia is a rather serious crime. It hurts those that are most defenseless, and has developed a horrible stigma for anyone that drives an unmarked van. Countries around the world have established various means of combating the crime, including imprisonment and the introduction of sex offender registries. Russia, however, is trying something a little different. The land of vodka, mail-order brides and really cool furry hats has just set the ball in motion to cut off the cause of pedophilia at the source. Castration.

Russian parliament (yes, Russia has a parliament) has just approved the first reading of a bill that will allow the courts to punish pedophilia with chemical castration. The punishment will be meted out to anyone found guilty of pedophilia against a minor under the age of 14, with repeat offender receiving life imprisonment. It may be just me, though, but repeat crimes don’t seem that likely. Perhaps it is seen as a reward for sheer commitment, post chop.

Castration is enough of a winch-inducing word as it is, even without the word “chemical” in front of it. The process is – luckily – a lot less violent than someone pouring acid over your nutties. It involves a series of synthetic estrogen injections, aimed at lowering the testosterone levels of the pedophile, to the point where no more urges are felt to fiddle with kids. This way, there is a much better chance at rehabilitation, and hopefully a re-integration into society. Possibly some work at the Smirnoff factory.

The bill still has to work its way through the process to becoming law, but I feel this is a very progressive move by Russia. It may even set a trend worldwide. Should you find yourself in Russia in the meantime, it’s probably best to play it safe. Ask for ID.

Just in case.

[Source: RT]