*Did you know that Namibia currently does not have a publically accessible sex offender registry? Shocked? You should be. At the very least, institutions like hospitals, schools, daycare centres, basically anyone that is hiring someone for child care, etc. should have access to a registry of sex offenders. It’s 2020 and they do not have access. IANNA would like to change that and be a platform where this sex offender registry would be publically and digitally available. Sign this petition to get the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender in Namibia to support this initiative.That is it! You don't have to read more. But you can if you want to know more about the initiative.Share this petition and follow us on Twitter @IAMNOTNEXTna#SOR #IANNA #IANNASLawIANNA stands for I Am Not Next Namibia, and it is a digital grass-root educative and awareness-raising web and mobile platform. It is an initiative by the Association of Medical Students of Namibia (AMSNA), a youth-led organisation with a mission to impact different spectrums of health in Namibia. They have created and designed IANNA, her law and philosophy, to provide a different approach to combating sexual assault and SGBV in Namibia.Is there provision for sex offender registries within the context of Namibian law?Yes! Under the Namibian Child Care and Protection Act, Namibia may establish a Sex offenders' Registry (SOR). This act was passed by the Namibian parliament in 2015. The SOR is a list of convicted sex offenders, profiling and outlining their offences. The criminal law in Namibia states that sex offender information and the crimes committed are public information. However, offender information is protected if the victim is a child (in Namibia a child is 18 years old and younger). The Child Care and Protection Act also states that no one may be employed to work directly with children at any institution (such as crèches, schools, universities, and hospitals) which provides welfare services to children if they have been convicted. Because of the inexistence of the SOR, these institutions are presently essentially operating blind and involuntarily placing others at risk of harm. The implementation of the SOR in Namibia will make it a prerequisite for employees to present a police clearance certificate, certifying that they have not been convicted of any sexual offences. The Ministry of Gender of the Republic of Namibia is in the process of formulating the regulations and rules of how the SOR Act will be applied in practice so that it can accomplish its full purpose. Delay in this process means a delay in getting something out into the public that can help curb the incidence of sexual assault. IANNA aims to work with the Ministry to accelerate this process.#SOR #IANNA #IANNASLawWhat does the global landscape for sex offender registries look like?Canada, The United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, The United States of America and Nigeria are some of the countries that have introduced sex offenders' registries. The registry features the full identity (name, fingerprint, address and details of the offences) and is used as a processing mechanism to determine suitability to work for a specific institution, the type of business an offender can found, etc.