JIANG QIBO, a judge of the Supreme People's Court, said on Wednesday that domestic courts have concluded trials in 4,159 cases involving molestation of children, and they have a zero-tolerance policy in such cases. Those who sexually abuse children and cause irreparable harm will the face death penalty as required by law, he said. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Of all sexual violation crimes, those against children are the most repulsive. In these cases, the victims are weaker and more vulnerable. And the crime leaves permanent scars on the victim's body and soul.

Reports show that some people who have suffered sexual abuse in their childhood get nightmares even when they reach 60 or 70.

That's why the judge's latest statement, showing zero tolerance for perpetrators of such heinous crimes, won great applause from the public on social networking sites.

Anybody guilty of sexually molesting children deserves no pardon and no excuse offered by the convict should hold any water or make the perpetrator eligible for a lighter sentence.

The judge's statement is indication of the court's strong determination to fight vicious crimes and protect children. Its strong determination to punish convicts severely will likely deter potential criminals from committing such crimes.

The huge number of child molestation cases, 4,159, is also indicative of the huge challenges that lie ahead of the judiciary.

In his statement, the judge also cited a case in which the convict received the death penalty for having raped and killed a girl. The strong punishment of a death penalty should deter other potential criminals from committing such crimes.

There are those who will argue that the death penalty is too harsh a punishment for such a crime. That it is inhuman too.

But were the judiciary to pardon such evildoers, it would not deliver justice to the innocent victims of such inhuman crimes. Only a harsh penalty can prevent such vicious crimes from being committed again, apart from also saving precious lives. A strict rule, in such cases, is not a bad thing after all.