MOSCOW, December 15 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Supreme Court has approved a bill on improvement of measures taken to protect children from sexual abuse, including pedophilia, the press-service of the State Duma MP Irina Yarovaya stated on Friday.

The bill cancels the statute of limitations for sex crimes against children to enforce inevitability of punishment for the criminals. Also, sexual harassment against minors perpetrated by people living with them as well as by those who use their office position is to be classified as especially grave crimes.

According to the bill, harboring these crimes becomes punishable by law. Distributing pornography among minors or depraving them online are to be considered as aggravating factors. Authors of the bill also propose to allow psychologists to be present during investigative procedures involving children. Sex crimes against minors under age of 12 are to be punished by life sentence.

In August, Anna Kuznetsova, Russia's children's rights commissioner, spoke in favor of establishment of the so-called registry of pedophiles. This list is to include information on all citizens responsible for committing crimes against children’s sexual inviolability. The criminals are to be put under administrative supervision for the rest of their lives. The proposal was supported by Russia’s Interior Ministry.

In April, the Supreme Court proposed to set up administrative supervision over child molesters after their release from prison.

According to the bill prepared by the Court, individuals facing release or already freed from prison would be put under supervision if they have an unexpunged or unspent conviction for committing a crime against minor’s sexual immunity and sexual freedom. Administrative oversight would also apply to those, who suffer from disorder of sexual preference (pedophilia), which does not rule out sanity.

Supervision would be established for individual treatment and protection of state and public interests. A court would therefore impose temporary restrictions of convicts’ rights and freedom as well as entrust with certain responsibilities. Law enforcement officers would be authorized to exercise such supervision.