Govt launches online database of sex offenders
The National Database on Sexual Offenders details will not be available for general public but only to law enforcement agencies for effectively tracking and investigating cases of sexual offences.
The government on Thursday launched an online National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO) which will have names, addresses, photographs and fingerprint details of persons convicted on charges of rape, gang rape, offences related to Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and stalking.
The NDSO data will not be available for general public but only to law enforcement agencies for effectively tracking and investigating cases of sexual offences. The government promised the database will not compromise the privacy of individuals.
All states in the US have sex offender registries where information is available to the public online, except in cases where the offenders are juveniles.
The government also launched another portal, the Cyber Crime Prevention Against Women and Children (CCPWC), to help citizens anonymously report complaints pertaining to child pornography, child sexual abuse material, or other sexually explicit material involving rapes and gang rapes. The portal can be accessed at “cybercrime.gov.in” and allow complainants to upload the objectionable content. The complaints will be handled by the respective state police authorities. If a victim or complainant wants, he or she can track the report .
The portals were launched by Union home minister Rajnath Singh in the presence of women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi. Top police and civil officers of the states attended the event via video conferencing.
Speaking on the occasion, Gandhi said state police chiefs need to keep a close eye on all shelter homes of women and children in their jurisdictions.
“Twenty to thirty per cent of sexual assaults take place in shelter homes. In Muzaffarpur in Bihar, the head of a shelter home allegedly sexually assaulted several children, but he was not arrested immediately. There was a tunnel from the shelter home to his residence. That means the crimes must have taken place in his residence. I appeal to all DGPs to keep a close eye on all shelter homes,” she said.
She pulled up states saying they didn’t respond to a letter sent by her ministry asking how many ‘rape kits’, a specially-designed kit which helps carry out immediate medical investigation into sexual assault cases, were procured by them.
Home minister Rajnath Singh said the two portals will help in strengthening security of women and children. However, he added that the police will still have tackle field challenges at the ground level to ensure speedy justice to the victims.
Officials said the NDSO is a central database of “sexual offenders” and it will be maintained by National Crime Records Bureau for regular monitoring and tracking by the state Police.
“At present the database contains 4.4 lakh entries. The state police have been requested to regularly update the database from 2005 onwards. The database includes name, address, photograph and fingerprint details for each entry. However, the database will not compromise any individual’s privacy,” said a government statement.
