The State Duma in the third, final reading adopted a law on life imprisonment for pedophiles.

Corresponding amendments are made to Art.

131 (“Rape”) and 132 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Violent acts of a sexual nature”). 

In accordance with the changes, life imprisonment will be threatened for repeated sexual abuse of minors.

Persons guilty of sexual abuse of two or more children, as well as those who committed violence in conjunction with another serious or especially serious crime, will also be sentenced to life imprisonment.

The lower house of parliament recalled that, under current legislation, life imprisonment threatens only in the event of violence committed by those previously convicted of a similar act and against a child under 14 years old.

State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin noted that the introduction of new aggravating circumstances is also being discussed at the moment.

These include the commission of a crime by a person living with a child, who is responsible for its maintenance, upbringing, training and protection of interests, as well as working in the areas of education and upbringing of minors. 

In addition, consideration is being given to suspending the statute of limitations for such crimes until the age of majority of the child victim of sexual abuse.

“The work will continue.

It is important for us to protect children from violence.

From those who can use their position for such crimes, ”Volodin emphasized.

Also, State Duma deputies are discussing a new approach to serving a life sentence - it is proposed to send those convicted of pedophilia to hard work.

“We can make them work with you in the mines, in the northern territories.

It will be much harder than the death penalty.

But then let's think about it.

And society will understand where these northern territories are, what mines, in what conditions,” Volodin explained.

A lawyer, a specialist in civil and international law, Maria Yarmush, in a conversation with RT, noted that the adopted changes will help protect children from recidivist pedophiles who are released after serving their sentences.

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What happened before the amendments were adopted?

Repeat offenders committed crimes against children once again, only when they were released.

They go out and do the same crimes again.

And it happens that a relapse has more serious consequences than the crime that preceded it.

People go to kill a child, to kidnap,” she said.

Yarmush noted that the new measure will not leave criminals a chance, after serving their sentence and being released, to re-commit such a crime.

“Without this innovation, people who committed such a crime did not feel that degree of danger when caught.

They thought: “Well, I’ll serve time, I’ll leave, then I’ll go out and again I can do the same thing.”

Now, when a life sentence will really loom, some of these people with similar inclinations will simply think and try not to commit this crime, ”the lawyer expressed hope.

In turn, the commissioner for children's rights in the Republic of Tatarstan, the founder of the National Parents' Committee, Irina Volynets, emphasized that if the guilt of the criminal is proven, then he "has no place in society, in society and next to minors."

“Therefore, waiting for the second victim is unacceptable.

Pedophilia is a chronic systemic failure of the personality, which, unfortunately, cannot be cured.

This is said by both criminologists and experts, as well as people who work in the law enforcement system.

Pedophiles quickly adapt, behave approximately and often get released on parole.

And their main goal is the opportunity to take up the old again, ”she said.

“Therefore, if it has already been discovered that a person is a pedophile who committed a crime, then the state, which is obliged to ensure the safety of our families and our children, must take all measures to protect society from such perverts,” Volynets said.

Recall that on January 5, Vyacheslav Volodin said that State Duma deputies would do everything to ensure that the bill on life imprisonment for pedophiles was adopted in January.

Volodin made such a statement in connection with the murder of a five-year-old girl in Kostroma, recalling that one of the detainees turned out to be a recidivist pedophile. 

“Criminals under such articles must serve life sentences in the most severe conditions - in the northern territories, mines.

These degenerates must work hard to earn their own living, every day to remember the atrocities committed, to regret it, ”Volodin emphasized.

On January 13, the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, said that in 2021, Russian investigators opened more than 22,000 criminal cases on crimes against children, which is 16.9% more than a year earlier.