BERLIN — The Council of Europe's anti-torture committee is pressuring Germany to do away with the practice of surgical castration of sex offenders.

In a report released in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, the committee says the use of castration to prevent convicted sex criminals from reoffending is "quite rare," with fewer than five cases annually in Germany. But it says it's an "irreversible intervention ... (that) could easily be considered as amounting to degrading treatment."

In its reply, Germany says it's debating whether to review the issue, but cites a study indicating it's effective and notes it's voluntary and only performed after all implications have been explained.

The committee has also criticized the Czech Republic, which uses the procedure more frequently.