Name and shame sex offenders, why not?
Once a person commits a crime against a woman and or children, they have then gave away their right to anonymity.
• Pastor Derick Mosoana writes:
Christians of South Africa (COSA) calls on government to include the name of every person who commits a sexual offence on the Sexual Offenders Register.
This comes after reports that the number of incidents of this type of offence doubled in 2017. The current Act (the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007) restricts the list of offenders to those found guilty of offences against children and mentally disabled persons. In other words, an offender who commits a sexual offence against any other category of persons is not listed. The Register is also not available to members of the public, thus protecting the reputations of rapists, abusers, perverts and abductors.
COSA is of the opinion that once a person commits a sexual crime, that person has no right to anonymity, as sex offenders are likely to commit their crimes again after their release from prison.
This Register, if amended and regularly updated, can be used as an effective tool to alert, protect and defend society. People deserve to know who just joined their circle.
COSA calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa, as part of his ‘Thuma Mina’ (Send me) rhetoric, to champion the launch of an all-inclusive Sex Offenders Register website, that can easily be accessed by members of the public.
The Register must include all sexual offenders, regardless of whether the offender is male or female, and irrespective of whether the victim is male or female, young or old, living with a disability or not.
*The Herald would like to know what its readers think about this issue. Send your comments to randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za.
