Vasile Filat, the priest of the Baptist Church “The Annunciation”, said that after 2003, when amendments were made to the Penal Code, the number of cases of sexual abuse has increased, including against children. “In 2001, there were recorded 189 cases of rape, in 2003 – 320 cases, while in 2010 − 368 cases, 87 cases of which involved children. I think this is due to the fact that the punishment for rape was decreased from seven to five years,” Vasile Filat said in a news conference at Info-Prim Neo. The priest also referred to the cases of pedophilia recorded in the latest period. “We monthly hear about cases of abuse against children. Two Italians were arrested for pedophilia in Moldova, but allowed to go home. The prosecutor dealing with this case said he may transmit the case to the Italian authorities so that the culprits are held accountable at home. “This ‘may’ looks rather like ‘may not’. The pedophiles in Europe prefer to come to Moldova to commit offenses because our legislation is more lenient. Not even the provisions of the Penal Code are implemented,” said the priest. Vasile Filat said the foreign legislation is very strict towards pedophiles. Many countries in Europe use chemical or surgical castration against pedophiles. “In Poland, there was recently introduced the chemical castration of pedophiles and abusers after only one case recorded, when the father abused his daughter. How many more cases should we have to include such a punishment in the Penal Code? MP Valeriu Munteanu put forward the initiative of applying chemical castration, but this initiative wasn’t even registered in Parliament,” said the priest. He called on the schools and churches to contribute to combating sexual abuses by providing counseling and support, saying the public authorities should toughen up the punishments for such offenses. The Church “The Annunciation” recommends the authorities to start monitoring and blocking websites with pornographic character, while the parents to be more attentive to their children’s behavior and tell them about the dangers to which they are exposed.