MOSCOW, October 20 (RAPSI) - Russia's government has backed a bill proposed by the United Russia party to introduce life sentences for pedophiles, according to Chair of the State Duma Information Policy Committee Alexander Khinshtein.

If the initiative is adopted, child molestors having criminal records for similar crimes would face life imprisonment for repeated rape of minors and sexual assaults on two or more children.

The draft law was earlier backed by the Supreme Court and Anna Kuznetsova, former Russian Child Rights Commissioner.

According to Kuznetsova, over the past three years, the number of such crimes has increased by 11.8%. Moreover every year the number of criminals who have repeatedly committed these atrocities increases.