Russian lawmakers have given preliminary approval to a bill that would stiffen penalties for those convicted of sex offenses against children, including either chemical castration or life in prison for repeat offenders.

Deputies from the lower house of Russia's parliament, the State Duma, passed the bill Tuesday in the first of three required readings. The anti-pedophile bill, originally proposed by President Dmitry Medvedev, also must pass the upper house of parliament before Mr. Medvedev can sign it into law.

News reports in Moscow quote a member of the ruling United Russia party (Tatyana Yakovleva) as saying the number of sex crimes against minors have at least trebled during the past 10 years. Reporters who contacted the Internal Affairs Ministry were told more than 7,500 people were convicted of sex

crimes against young teenagers or children last year.

A handful of countries around the world have used or approved chemical-castration techniques to combat pedophilia in recent years. Among them are Israel, South Korea and Argentina, and in Europe, Britain, Denmark, Sweden and Poland. Several U.S. states also have allowed the practice, which in some case allows pedophiles to serve shorter prison terms or avoid jail time altogether if the treatment succeeds in suppressing their illegal activities.