Malawi lawmaker calls for castration of rapists

Malawi lawmaker for Dedza North Savel Kafwafwa says he is going to lobby for a law that punishes sexual offenders by way of castrating them.

Kafwafwa who is also chairperson for Parliamentary committee on social and community affairs said this on Tuesday during the launch of 16 days of activism against gender based violence in Dedza.

His sentiments come at a time when there is growing calls for stiffer penalties to perpetrators of defilement and rape in the country.

“We are very concerned with the continued occurrences of defilement cases. I feel the best solution is to introduce a stiffer penalty because there have been cases where those who commit these atrocities are sometimes convicts who were released from prison for the same offences,” he said.

The parliamentarian said since it appears that some perpetrators cannot control their sexual feelings, it is better to medically castrate them as a way of deterring them from committing the offence again.

He said community members have been suggesting the punishment during meetings with his committee.

“For example, we went to Mgabu in Chikwawa where a perpetrator had defiled 7 and 9 year old girls and community members urged us to make it into law that such people should be castrated,” Kafwafwa said.

However, whilst speaking in a separate interview, Senior Chief Chauma differed with the suggestion, describing it as dehumanising.

“Indeed, the current penalties which perpetrators of rape and defilement are receiving are not stiff enough. They only need to be given life sentences instead of castrating them,” Chauma said.

The senior chief said castration is a very extreme option to be conducted on a human being.

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