Italy has moved towards legalising chemical castration for rapists and paedophiles under a proposed new law.
The parliament in Rome gave its approval on Wednesday to the creation of a committee that could draft laws on treating violent sex offenders with androgen-blocking drugs.
The treatment would be consensual and reversible with the aim of preventing reoffending.
It is the latest move by Italy’s government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to crack down on law and order.
Since she came to power in 2022, Meloni has spearheaded legislation establishing new crimes and tougher penalties.
The new law, however, was proposed by a branch of her governing coalition who previously made chemical castration for paedophiles and rapists a key part of its platform.
Under the proposal, violent sex offenders could avoid jail in exchange for taking hormone-blocking drugs.
The plans, however, have been criticised by opposition groups for being ‘extremist’ and a ‘violation of humanity and justice’.
Enrico Borghi from the centrist Italia Viva party posted on social media: ‘What’s next? Tar and feathers, or rope and soap?’
Simona Bonafè from the centre-Left Democratic Party added that the plans were ‘unconstitutional’ and undermined ‘the foundation of our legal system that has overcome the use of corporal punishment for centuries’.
Chemical castration involves a person taking hormone-blocking drugs to prevent the production of testosterone.
However, concerns have been raised about physical and psychological side effects and its effectiveness at stopping reoffending.
The method has already been introduced in a number of countries as a punishment for certain crimes.