Real solution needs involvement of entire society
Cho Doo-soon, Kim Kil-tae and Kim Soo-cheol: These are the names related to the most notorious child rape and/or murder cases in recent years. Countless more potential sex predators like them are stalking our neighborhoods virtually undeterred ― and undetected ― seeking to prey upon the most helpless members of this society.
So the National Assembly's passage Tuesday of a bill on preventing and treating habitual child molesters is more than welcome.
We also give our full support in that regard to the provision on the so-called drug treatment of sexual impulse, better known as ``chemical castration," the hottest topic in the somewhat belated legislation.
Opponents cite possibilities of human rights abuses of offenders. This is basically a sound concern, but should give way to the far more severe and realistic sufferings of victims and their families. The focus should be on how to maximize its benefits and minimize adverse effects.
Above all, the popular term itself is a misnomer, as it is completely different from surgical castration and is just a temporary curb of sexual desires through hormone-restraining injections. When the effect of the injection wears off, the patients can resume their normal physical functions.
The treatment also fits the nature of pedophilia, one of the most repetitive and impulsive pathological symptoms. Experiences in countries like Sweden and Denmark show chemical castration has reduced the rate of recidivism from 40 percent to 5 percent.
At stake, as always, is how faithfully the law enforcement authorities implement the existing measures. In the face of a series of highly publicized child molestation incidents, the government has rightly kept enhancing its countermeasures, including closer monitoring by installing more closed-circuit TVs, more psychotherapy and counseling and the introduction of electronic tracking devices.
Watching the news on continuous similar occurrences over the past few days, however, we suspect all these steps have failed to produce preventive effects as desired, for one reason or another. This means the government should allocate sufficient financial and human resources to effectively administer the measures and, if necessary, set up a separate agency exclusively responsible for this matter.
A more fundamental solution should be found through the involvement of the entire society. One of the most urgent tasks is to establish a victim's support facility, like the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) in the United States. This is especially important, as this society is rather negligent on the treatment of victims amid one-sided focus on the offenses and their prevention and punishment.
Equally necessary is the activation of joint government and civilian efforts to care for abandoned children. Considering most of the offenders themselves are the victims of unfortunate childhoods, the government needs to run regional centers to take care of children of low-income families left at home alone while their parents are at work.
After all, this society has produced offenders and victims, and it is right it should take responsibility for both.
