16 Dec 2020

 Members of Parliament have expressed support for the Sex Offenders Registry Bill which was presented by the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Mr Kagiso Mmusi on Tuesday.

The Bill seeks for the establishment of sex offenders register that keeps an extensive range of personal information about offenders who have committed qualifying offences.

This is done with the view to enhance public safety, reduce sexual re-offending through deterrence and to ensure that when a sexual offender is released back into the community they are monitored and barred from working in the vicinity of children and other vulnerable groups.

Contributing to the debate, Jwaneng-Mabutsane MP, Mr Mephato Reatile said some family members were primarily responsible for the abuse meted to their children and should be brought to book.

He pleaded with the minister to establish specialised units for sex offences that would be manned by trained professionals.

He also appealed to the minister to consider reviewing the restraining order as victims were not completely protected from the perpetrators.

For his part Tati East MP, Dr Douglas Letsholathebe applauded efforts by civil society in the fight against the social ill of gender violence.

Mr Letsholathebe said he was worried about the rising number of rape cases and appealed to Parliament to work hand to hand with other countries to access information on how to safeguard victims.

He said it was the duty of Parliament to safeguard women and children who were most vulnerable to gender violence.

He said there was a need to do data research on why violence was escalating and what could be done in future.

Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi appreciated movements such as #WeshallNotForget which had been advocating for the fight against women and children abuse.

He said it was disheartening to see perpetrators roaming the streets and said it was high time bail conditions for offences such as gender violence-related matters were reviewed.

He suggested that bail be exempted for rape cases.

Mr Mmolotsi said the register would help identify and deal with rogue elements as soon as possible.

He said the only disturbing factor was that the register was not freely accessible as a fee was demanded to peruse it.

Mr Mmolotsi said offenders needed to be classified according to the gravity of their offences.

He applauded the minister for setting up special units for gender-related cases in police stations which would soon be rolled out to other service centres countrywide.

Palapye legislator Mr Onneetse Ramogapi said the presentation of the Bill was an indication of Parliament’s timely response to issues of gender violence.

He said it should not only cater for employment purposes but extend to other individuals such as school children.

He said the register must remove the fees demanded to access it because not all people had funds to peruse the register.

Mr Ramogapi said certain clauses had to be looked into such as particulars of offenders as some people had the habit of changing names.

He said there was need to include all forms of sexual violence.

Specially Elected MP Dr Unity Dow said research had shown that sex offenders were normally habitual offenders.

Dr Dow who is also the chairperson of Parliamentary Caucus on Gender said gender violence was a broad topic that demanded scrutiny.

She said there were dangerous sexual offenders and it was important to classify them as such.

She said it was a welcome development to establish a post-release regime to track and supervise offenders.

She observed that it was high time for legislators to map the way forward on how to handle habitual offenders.

MP for Gaborone Central Mr Tumisang Healy applauded former specially elected MP Ms Bogolo Kenewendo for bringing the motion to Parliament.

He said the elderly were also vulnerable to sex offences and some cases were not reported due to various reasons.

He said another vulnerable group was people living with disabilities and it was a welcome development for the Bill to be broader.

Mr Healy said there should be stringent penalties for wrongful accusations as the offences were a serious issue. ENDS