|
Matthew Vella
Commissioner for Children Sonia Camilleri has told MaltaToday the commission is hoping to discuss the creation of a national register for paedophiles in 2006.
The register would be the latest in a series of policies to tackle child abuse in Malta, in which arrests and prosecutions of alleged child abusers increased from 11 in 2001 to 30 individuals by November 2005, arraigned in court on suspicion of child abuse.
Recently Camilleri appealed for a speedier process to bring child abusers to justice: “Court delays cannot be accepted. A register of paedophiles, in the case of sexual abuse, is also something that some countries have opted for,” Camilleri told MaltaToday.
The register would be a first for Malta. In other countries, such as the United States, government justice departments and other state law enforcement agencies have set up national databases of child abusers over the internet.
The registers are updated databases on the movements of accused child abusers, paedophiles and other individuals with a history of child abuse. The registers track down their movements, which inform the public of where they are living. Former convicts who claim they have reformed often report being unable a home to rent after they are found out to have had a history of child sexual abuse.
Individuals arraigned were 11 in 2001, increasing to 17 the year after, 26 in 2003 and a record 30 by Novemeber 2005. The figure decreased slightly in 2004 with 22 people arraigned.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
|
