Safeguarding our children’s future

The Star, Jul 3, 2013

I REFER to the report “12 years too light for child molester” (The Star. June 29). 

While this reaction holds true and legitimate for many, the longer term concern must surely be this. What do you do with such individuals when they are eventually released? 

The only way, besides the capital punishment response, is a real and true life sentence. 

But, in reality, such individuals will serve their sentence and eventually be released.

Putting aside the wider professional and philosophical debates surrounding the “punishment versus rehabilitation” axis or the efficacy of “spent offences” in sentencing legal wisdom, how do you ensure that such individuals, when released back into society are unlikely to harm children again? Or, be absolutely sure that they are not in similar situations where children are exposed to great risk again?

In short, should the examples given not prompt one to ask that the Government to seriously consider the establishment of a “sex offenders’ register”?

This way, any person with a conviction for a sexual offence/s will be included on the register and where conditions of residence, activity compliance conditions could be imposed following their release.

At least, such a provision, expertly managed by “a single authoritative agency” and supported by the range of relevant multi-agencies will go a long way to reassuring the public of the government’s determination to develop a wider safe-guarding infrastructure for children. 

• Jim Lim Teik Wah, Penang (The Star, Jul 3, 2013). Read more about him here.