IN piloting the amendment to the Sexual Offences Act to establish a Sex Offenders Register, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the public register will not publicise offender’s names but their locations.
Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, Al-Rawi said there were horrific cases of children being sexually abused from birth and much more needed to be done in order to protect them.
During the debate, Al-Rawi added that there were also discussions on how to deal with lawfully, persons engaged in voyeurism and revenge porn.
Al-Rawi said, “We had become accustomed to T&T crying out for more to be done especially on sexual abuse.”
He stated that there were 2,573 reported rapes for the period 2016 to March 2021 but only 916 convictions from 2013 to 2018. And of the 27,800 cases in courts, 6,402 were for sexual abuse.
Al-Rawi said, “Grippingly horrific are cases of sexual abuse of children–from zero to four months.”
Given the proposals, Al-Rawi indicated that there will be two Sex Offenders Registries, one for public use minus offenders’ names and a private one for police with full details.
Al-Rawi also said thousands of people with prior convictions would not be listed because when those people were convicted, the court did not make an order that they be listed in a register.
However, the registers will include those with convictions locally and internationally including migrants and deportees who will have two days after arriving in Trinidad and Tobago to report to a police station.
And offenders can also apply to the courts if they do not wish to be listed on the public register.
In his contribution, Opposition Senator David Nakhid said each case was unique especially where rehabilitation was concerned.
And Independent Senator Dr Varma Deyalsingh added that many perpetrators were not even caught.
“Even when you catch these individuals, the conviction rate seems to be very dismal.”
Al -Rawi added that Government also wanted to consider a register of those with sexual offences charges .
He said, “When T&T rises up and asks how monsters are walking around with 10 to 14 charges , it’s because there was no such register.”
