Paedophiles can now be executed or castrated by Indonesian authorites as the government cracks down on abuse following the horrific rape and murder of a girl, 14.

Indonesia is a hotspot for Australian paedophiles, with more than 100 sex criminals caught travelling to the country since 2014.

On Wednesday Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced the new laws, which come into place straight away, reported WA Today.

Under the laws judges are given the power to sentence paedophiles to death or order that they are chemically castrated – a procedure which uses drugs to eliminate sex drive.

President Widodo said: ‘(This) will give room for judges to issue the heaviest sentence on perpetrators of sexual offences on children.

‘We hope this regulation will provide a deterrent effect and bring down the number of sexual offences committed against children.’

Earlier in May a 14-year-old girl called Yuyun from the Indonesian village of Sumatra was brutally gang raped and then murdered by 14 boys, all younger than 18.

Seven of the attackers were imprisoned for 10 years, a sentence which sparked national outrage as many thought it was too light.

President Widodo said at the time: ‘We all mourn the tragic death of Yuyun. [We need to] catch and severely punish the perpetrators. Women and children must be protected from violence.’