|
HONG KONG - HONG KONG'S law reform body on Tuesday proposed creating the region's first sex offender register after the city was hit by a number of sex abuse crimes involving repeat offenders.
The register will cover offences, such as child pornography and rape, that can be linked to a higher risk of child sex exploitation, according to the proposal by the Law Reform Commission's Review of Sexual Offences Sub-committee.
'We have done a lot of research on other jurisdictions. We haven't found anywhere else in this region that has a sex offender register', Mr Peter Duncan, head of the sub-committee, told AFP after a press conference to announce his group's recommendations.
Police would administer the list of offenders. Those who do not re-offend three years after conviction, and if their sentence carried less than three months' jail or a fine less than US$1,300 (S$1,772), would have their record wiped clean.
The register 'does not guarantee the ultimate outcome that we want', but is a temporary measure after a number of sex abuse crimes were committed against children by repeat offenders in recent years, Mr Duncan said.
The register would not be released to the public, as is the case in the United States.
'We do not favour the naming and shaming approach, which can lead to harassment of the offenders and their family, and is, in our view, not consistent with the rehabilitation of the offenders', Mr Duncan said.
The proposal also allows schools and religious centres to check with police to see if prospective hires have been convicted of sex crimes.
But that can only be done with the job applicant's consent, and employers will also not be required to make such checks.
Mr Duncan said his group had not decided whether the criminal check should be mandatory in the long term, noting it would take more time - and new legislation - to implement the register if it was required.
In March, a 50-year-old tutor was jailed for molesting five girls at his home in the southern Chinese city.
It was later revealed in court that he had had three previous convictions for indecent assault and had changed his name after he was released from prison to become a tutor.
The commission will take public comment on the proposal and later submit a second report on it to the government, which would have to approve the register.
| 
