Macedonia seeks chemical castration for pedophiles

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SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Macedonia's conservative government wants to toughen the laws against pedophilia, raising the maximum sentence to life imprisonment and imposing chemical castration on repeat offenders.

Draft legislation presented Thursday would also offer reduced sentences to first-time offenders if they agreed to voluntary chemical castration.

The current law allows for a maximum 15-year sentence for severe sexual offenses against minors. Pedophilia is a growing problem in Macedonia, and the government proposal follows warnings from a leading child protection group that current laws are not strict enough to discourage repeat offenders.

No date has yet been set for a parliamentary debate on the proposed law.