Latvia to propose a public sex offenders register and chemical castration of paedophiles

In early 2016 Latvia’s Justice Ministry will produce a report, which publicly lists the names of paedophiles. 

On December 17, the Latvian Justice Minister Dzintars Rasnacs added the report will also propose the chemical castration of paedophiles.

He said the government would have an opportunity to decide whether it wanted to create a sex offenders register and permit chemical castration.    

Rasnacs said he personally approved the idea that people could find out whether their neighbours were sex offenders.

At present, the sex offenders is only available to the law enforcement agencies, education establishments and custody courts.

Rasnacs added he would personally approve of chemical castration of sex offenders. 

He said that, based on the experience of other countries, this particular punishment was only applied to the most prolific sex offenders as an alternative to incarceration. 

"If we chose to have it, it obviously will not be a wide-spread practice, and it is going to be expensive, but I think we have to do it,” said Rasnacs.