PUTRAJAYA: Beginning April 1, checks can be made with the Child Sex Offenders Registry to check if a person has a prior record of the offence.
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh said the checks are free of charge and can be done at the state and district Social Welfare Department offices by showing the identity card or passport number of the individual to be checked.
Speaking to reporters after the launch of the registry search facility by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who is also Minister of Women, Family and Community Development here today, she said checks with the state Social Welfare Department offices would produce immediate results while those done at the district office would need five working days.
“The checks will only show if there is a record or not. Details of the offence will not be given as it is private and confidential information,” she said.
“If the individual has a record connected to a child sexual crime, time is needed to check if the case is at the appeal stage or not,” she said.
Yeoh said parents who want to get the services of a childminder, child care centre operators who want to know the background of job applicants and all centres involving children can use the system.
She said the registry has more than 3,000 names of sexual offenders who were found guilty since 2017 until Feb 28, 2019.
“The number is growing and it will be updated on a monthly basis,” Yeoh said.
She added that the majority of those who were found guilty of child sexual crimes were first offenders.
For instance, she said, in 2017, of the 314 people found guilty of the offence, 300 were first offenders and 14 repeat offenders.
In 2018, of the 639 individuals who were found guilty, 605 were first offenders and 34 repeat offenders.
Yeoh said the registry had 3,000 names as it included offences under other acts which involved children but at present, the check was only limited to sexual crimes against children. – Bernama
