Bill proposing setting up of Offenders' Register launched

Institutions and companies that deal with children will be obliged to check whether their employees or prospective ones are listed on a register to be set up, listing people found guilty of crimes against minors.

A bill proposing the setting up of the register was launched by Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici this afternoon and will be published in tomorrow’s Government Gazette.

People found guilty of a number of criminal acts against minors would be listed and the bill is also proposing giving the Criminal Court the discretion on whether to include a person’s name on the register. It also proposes that the court should have the power to issue an interim measure .listing one’s name on the register even before a case is concluded.

It proposes putting the onus on people running institutions to report any allegations of abuse, including by representatives of the church and voluntary organisations, to the police commissioner.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that the register would not be accessible to the public.

The people listed would be on the register for as long as the Court deems fit, depending on the seriousness of the crime. Those listed would have the possibility of applying at the Criminal Court to have their name removed.

The register, the minister said, could not be retroactive but will include pending criminal cases on which a decision has yet to be taken.

The bill, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said, was a statement by the state that it intended to afford the highest protection to minors. It created a balance between society’s interest, the protection of minors and individuals’ rights.

It was not aimed to create a witchhunt but to create the right balance to offer the best care possible for children.