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Lawmakers in the Kaduna region of the African state of Nigeria approved new punishments for child rapists: They will be surgically castrated, the BBC reports.
However, the governor of the region, Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, will have to enact the law for it to take effect in northwestern Nigeria. He had previously advocated for the castration of child rapists to prevent recidivism.
Nigerian federal law provides for sentences of 14 years and life imprisonment, but regions can establish their own criminal laws and codes. In June, the governors of Nigerian regions declared a state of emergency due to the high number of rapes and violence against women and children.
Under the new Kaduna law, people found guilty of raping a child under 14 will be surgically castrated.
The surgical castration of convicts for pedophilia and rape has long been debated in Nigerian society, especially after the rape and brutal murder of a 22-year-old student.
