Organisations support move to create sex offenders...

Organisations support move to create sex offenders register

Audrey Galawu

The Gender Media Commission is in support of the government move to establish a public register for sex offenders as one way of curbing sexual offences in the country.

GMC Chairperson Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe said sex offenders should be publicly denounced to prevent the repetition of the same crime.

“The register would help employers in the public or private sectors such as schools, crèches and hospitals the right to check that the person being hired is fit to work with children or mentally challenged people.

“Government should develop and publish an offenders’ register to name and shame offenders publicly so that they would not repeat the same crime and continue to evade the punishment of the law,” she said.

Cabinet has approved amendments to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act to introduce stiff penalties for perpetrators of sexual violence and this will see rapists being sentenced to life imprisonment or “any definite period of imprisonment of not less than 15 years”.

https://zimbabwenow.co.zw/articles/1478/move-to-arrest-increasing-rape-crisis-with-mandatory-15-year-jail-term

Abuse of minors cases on the increase in the country.

Police recorded more than 8 715 cases in 2021.

A public register records the names of persons who have been convicted of charges of sexual offences committed. Registered sexual offenders are not permitted to work with or have access to children or mentally disabled persons.

Mwanasikana Wanhasi Programmes Officer Diana Miti said the initiative would help the public and employers to conduct checks.

“The public register is a great stance to bring sex offenders to account. It only requires cooperation and professionalism from stakeholders,” Miti said.

Meanwhile, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said the department of the Legal Aid Directorate is working towards achieving a sex offenders’ register.

“There are also plans to set up a sex offenders’ register to monitor and control ex-convicts upon their release from prison,” Ziyambi said.

South Africa is one of the countries with a National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO) which was established by an Act of Parliament in 2007 which aims to stop the spate of incidents against children and mentally challenged people.

In countries with sex offenders registers, these are generally available online and anyone can check for convicted culprits near them or verify a name.