YEREVAN. – The overall trend shows that pedophilia is growing in Armenia, Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan stated during a briefing with news reporters, on Thursday.  

“This type of crime was perhaps concealed in the past, but, in parallel with publicity, such type of crimes is becoming a public domain. I do not rule out that the level of awareness could be higher,” Tovmasyan said.     

Also on Thursday, the Armenian Government approved a bill on administering sterilization as punishment for pedophiles. But first, the pedophile will have to serve the sentence and then undergo a special examination, prior to being released. And if the examination concludes that the pedophile poses a threat to society, the individual will have to either undergo mandatory treatment, or be sterilized. The sterilization must be on a voluntary basis and by way of injecting chemical hormones into the patient.