Blacklist of sex offenders to be made available to public

KUALA LUMPUR: An online registry of convicted child abusers and sex offenders will be set up later this year to facilitate checks by parents, guardians and would be employers.
Women, Family and Community Development minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said yesterday the registry which will be accessible to the public free-of- charge, will list the names, identity card numbers, photographs and particulars of the offences.
"We are setting up this registry in view of calls from the public for this facility to enable parents, guardians and would be employers like kindergartens, child-care centres and schools to check on potential employees.
"By checking the registry, they may find and be fore-warned that a person they plan to hire or ask to take care of their children, is a convicted child abuser or sexual offender," she said.
Rohani said towards setting up the registry which will be the first of its kind in the country, amendments will be made to the Child Act 2001 when Parliament reconvenes in March.
Such registries have long been used in countries like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
There are plans for a similar registry to be set up in Singapore, but is has not materialised as yet.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s policy division secretary Dr Waitchalla V. Suppiah, said the ministry will gather information on convictions for sexual crimes and child abuse cases from the courts to be compiled in the registry.
She said besides directly accessing the registry, the public will also be able to check by calling the ministry directly, if they are suspicious of certain individuals.
“Employers may find it useful to refer to the blacklist when hiring prospective staff. They can then know if the person has a criminal record for abusing children in one way or another.
“For example, the list will help those operating child-care centres to determine if any prospective employee has past problems with children,” she added.
Meanwhile, Rohani said under the amendments proposed in the Bill, parents or guardians who torture, neglect, abandon or expose their children to an unprotected environment will be liable to severe punishments.
The ministry is also seeking to double the current jail term for such offenders from 10 to 20 years, and increase the fine from RM10,000 to RM50,000.
Convicted persons will also be subjected to perform mandatory community service after serving their penalties.

Rohani had previously been quoted as saying that about 70% of the Child Act 2001 needs to be amended to give more emphasis on addressing the neglect of children.
She added that as so much of the Act is being amended, the revised law may well be called the Child Act 2015.