Make the National Registry for Sex Offenders Open to the SA Public! #publicNRSO
Make the National Registry for Sex Offenders Open to the SA Public! #publicNRSO
The Issue
We demand:
- That the NRSO is made easily accessible to the SA public.
- That the NRSO includes those who have been found guilty of sexual offences against WOMEN.
(ideally all sex offenders, but in light of the current GBV endemic, this would be a starting point). - That an offender cannot have their name removed from the register.
- If they have been released/are on parole.
This could be both a deterrent and a tool to allow individuals and communities to engage and protect themselves.
Is the criminal justice system not busy enough?
In 2022, the President signed the Sexual Offences Amendment Act into law, which promised to make the NRSO PUBLIC, but through some legal loophole, DID NOT.
Even though the objectives written in the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill say: “The Bill aims to amend Chapter 6 of the principal Act so as to make provision for certain particulars of persons who have been convicted of sexual offences to be made publicly available.”
We demand that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development keep its word to make the NRSO easily available for the public to access.
Personally, I am another frustrated Medical Doctor who recently testified in my first rape case as a medical expert witness. Due to legal rules and loopholes, I could only answer the questions I was asked; I could not "speculate" and therefore could not tell my full perspective of the case.
This is not what it means to be a doctor, we look at the whole situation to form an opinion.
This case has been following me for years, through the nights treating other patients. These questions constantly sit at the back of my mind: "Had I done something wrong?" "Is my patient okay?".
A few years ago, a young man was convicted of and sentenced for the murder of a schoolmate in my class "in a fit of jealousy" because "his" girlfriend was possibly "unfaithful". Then he was released - as we all learn in South Africa "without even making it into the newspaper". I only found this out because I saw his INTERNET DATING PROFILE.
EVERYONE DESERVES TO KNOW if they are in danger or could bring their loved ones close to it.
Keeping this Register secret is like not pulling a fire alarm and leaving people in the flames.
See how we are currently protected:
The Issue
We demand:
- That the NRSO is made easily accessible to the SA public.
- That the NRSO includes those who have been found guilty of sexual offences against WOMEN.
(ideally all sex offenders, but in light of the current GBV endemic, this would be a starting point). - That an offender cannot have their name removed from the register.
- If they have been released/are on parole.
This could be both a deterrent and a tool to allow individuals and communities to engage and protect themselves.
Is the criminal justice system not busy enough?
In 2022, the President signed the Sexual Offences Amendment Act into law, which promised to make the NRSO PUBLIC, but through some legal loophole, DID NOT.
Even though the objectives written in the Sexual Offences Amendment Bill say: “The Bill aims to amend Chapter 6 of the principal Act so as to make provision for certain particulars of persons who have been convicted of sexual offences to be made publicly available.”
We demand that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development keep its word to make the NRSO easily available for the public to access.
Personally, I am another frustrated Medical Doctor who recently testified in my first rape case as a medical expert witness. Due to legal rules and loopholes, I could only answer the questions I was asked; I could not "speculate" and therefore could not tell my full perspective of the case.
This is not what it means to be a doctor, we look at the whole situation to form an opinion.
This case has been following me for years, through the nights treating other patients. These questions constantly sit at the back of my mind: "Had I done something wrong?" "Is my patient okay?".
A few years ago, a young man was convicted of and sentenced for the murder of a schoolmate in my class "in a fit of jealousy" because "his" girlfriend was possibly "unfaithful". Then he was released - as we all learn in South Africa "without even making it into the newspaper". I only found this out because I saw his INTERNET DATING PROFILE.
EVERYONE DESERVES TO KNOW if they are in danger or could bring their loved ones close to it.
Keeping this Register secret is like not pulling a fire alarm and leaving people in the flames.
See how we are currently protected:
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Petition created on July 26, 2023