Sinkevičius backs debate on drug treatment and child sex offender register

Virginijus Sinkevičius, leader of the Democratic Union For Lithuania and a member of the European Parliament, supports discussing drug treatment for people convicted of sexual offences against children, LRT reported.

“Everything must be done to ensure that these crimes do not happen again. That is the essential thing,” Sinkevičius said on Žinių radijas on Wednesday.

He was commenting on a proposal by former Health Minister and MEP Aurelijus Veryga to discuss the use of chemical castration for child sex offenders. Sinkevičius said the term was striking but that the measure essentially involved treatment with medication.

He said such treatment could reduce the risk of repeat sexual offences, but stressed that the person concerned would have to consent to it and commit to not stopping the treatment.

Sinkevičius also said victims must be prioritised and provided with long-term psychological support, potentially for the rest of their lives.

Register should restrict access to children

Sinkevičius also supports creating a register of people who have committed sexual offences against children. He said its main purpose should not be to inform the public where such people live, but to prevent them from working with children.

“The essential thing is to ensure that these people do not have access to children,” he said, adding that the register should prevent them from obtaining jobs that would give them contact with children.

Sinkevičius said sexual offences against children are often committed by people in their surroundings who have gained their trust. In his view, the state must take measures to reduce the risk of such crimes recurring as much as possible.

The comments follow recent criminal cases involving two Catholic priests who worked in the Vilnius Archdiocese. In August, the Prosecutor General’s Office said it had sent to court a case in which a priest was charged with 34 criminal acts involving sexual offences against minors, possession of pornographic material and involving children in drinking.

A separate case involving another priest was sent to court at the end of June. He is charged with possessing pornographic material.

Although the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Vilnius Archdiocese have declined to name the men, those charged are 56-year-old Tadas Švedavičius and 51-year-old Ryšardas Peciunas. Švedavičius is accused of the sexual offences and other crimes, while Peciunas denies the charges.

According to the archbishop of Vilnius, Gintaras Grušas, Švedavičius has admitted his guilt, asked to be dismissed from the priesthood and promised to compensate the victims.