Those convicted of sexual offenses, harassment or crimes against juveniles, enrolled in an automated national registry

Independent MP Oana Bîzgan proposes the set-up of the National Automated Registry regarding the authors of sexual offenses, harassment or offenses against juveniles.

The register would be a means of knowing and operative identification of persons who committed acts such as harassment and sexual harassment, trafficking of human beings and trafficking of minors, pimping and use of child prostitution, rape and sexual assault, sexual intercourse with a minor and sexual abuse of minors, child pornography, incest, and so on.

Persons entered in the Register will be required to notify the intention to change their domicile and journeys in their home town for longer than 15 days. Also, before engaging in health, education, public safety, social assistance, defense, national security and justice, institutions will be able to interrogate the Registry on people who want to occupy these posts.

“Sexual offenses are one of the greatest social hazards, both in their violent nature and in the long-lasting psychological effects they have on the victims – in overwhelming majority of women or children”, said Bîzgan.

According to Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) data, there are on average five rape cases in Romania each day

Cases of child pornography, sexual acts with minors, deprivation of liberty and trafficking of human beings are the order of the day, according to MAI and DIICOT. The general 70% recurrence rate is all the more alarming in the case of sexual offenses, as was the case with the conditionally released prisoner in November 2017 who committed a new rape just 3 days after the release. The situation is worsened by the fact that 55% of Romanians consider that sexual assault can be justified under certain conditions.

Additional measures are needed to prevent relapse, similar to the enrollment of biological evidence from dangerous offenders in the National Genetic Forensic Data System or various complementary punishments. However, they address exclusively offenses of a criminal nature, but sexual assaults considered contraventions are not penalized beyond the original fine. All these tools become useless after rehabilitation, facilitating the possibility of committing a new offense of the same nature or even more serious.

Establishing a Registry – it could help to prevent relapse

Establishing a Register of offenders, sexual and harassment crimes accessible to competent institutions, and the obligation to declare a change of residence would considerably facilitate the prevention of relapse. Moreover, storing personal and genetic data of authors of sex offenses over a longer period would provide a separate criminal record database that can be used quickly to capture recidivists.

“The Registry does not deny the existence or importance of rehabilitation; not the punitive aspect is desirable, but the preventive one: a condemned pedophile will not be able to engage in a school or other institution where they can work with children, ” the project initiator explained.

For the establishment of the Registry, the independent MP received more than 110 signatures from USR, UDMR, PMP, PSD, PNL and minorities parties. Oana Bîzgan has previously submitted two legislative proposals on street harassment and moral harassment at work; both supported by parliamentarians from all political parties, both in power and opposition.