The Office of the Attorney General has sought to more severely punish those convicted of child molestation in response to the growing prevalence of such cases.
At seminar titled “Society’s Way Out from Molestation” organized by the Department of Children and Youth and the Commission for Improving Child Laws in line with the Constitution and Children’s Rights Treaties, Expert Public Prosecutor Wanchai Rujanawong remarked that laws must be implemented with greater severity against those convicted of molestation.
He called for distinctions to be drawn between rapists who also murder their victims, rapists who cause injury and rapists who pose a threat to society, with punishments differing from execution and life imprisonment to asset seizure. He asserted convicts of such crimes should not have the chance at lowered sentences.
Deputy Director of the Department of Mental Health Dr. Panpimol Wipulakorn indicated that the frequency of molestation cases is on the rise with offenders ranging from family members to high-level officials. She also noted that the ages of victims in children molestation cases now range from as low as 11 months to 5 years of age. She stated that her office agrees that punishment for instigators of such crimes should be severe as their victims, despite extensive treatment, often are unable to completely move past the trauma inflicted upon them.
