Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT will soon establish a register of sexual offenders as it broadens efforts to curb sexual offences.
The country has, over the years, recorded an increase in cases of sexual violations, particularly involving women, children and other vulnerable groups.
The Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, through the Department of Law Development, held a stakeholders’ consultation workshop on the establishment of a sexual offenders register system in Zimbabwe.
The workshop, aimed at tapping views, was attended by lawyers, women’s organisations, civil society groups and representatives from various Government departments.
Speaking at the workshop, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs Vimbai Nyambai Nyemba said the proposed legal framework required careful consideration of issues relating to privacy, human dignity, rehabilitation, reintegration and data protection.
Mrs Nyemba said it was also important to assess institutional capacity and determine whether such a system would effectively contribute to preventing sexual offending and protecting vulnerable members of society.
“Any proposal to establish a sex offenders register raises significant legal and policy considerations,” she said.
“It requires careful examination of issues relating to privacy, human dignity, rehabilitation, reintegration, data protection, institutional capacity and, ultimately, whether such a system would effectively contribute to preventing sexual offending and protecting vulnerable members of society.
“Our task is therefore to strike the appropriate balance between protecting the public and preserving the constitutional rights that define our democratic legal order. Justice demands both accountability and fairness. It requires us to protect those who are vulnerable while ensuring that every legal measure we adopt is proportionate, necessary and effective. That is why today’s consultation is so important.
“We are not gathered to endorse a predetermined outcome. We are here to examine the evidence. We are here to learn from comparative experience. And we are here to determine which legal framework best serves Zimbabwe’s interests.”
