Calls grow for Australia to have a publicly accessible database of child sex offenders
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The calls for Australians to have access to a public database of child sex offenders are growing.
News Corp’s new podcast, Predatory, hosted by abuse survivor and actress Madeleine West and ex-detective Gary Jubelin, explores the issue of child abuse and sex offender registries.
In the eight-part series, the two speak to child sexual abuse survivors and advocates who are wanting a national child sex offender registry that the public can access and fair compensation for victims.
But the demand to have a public database is only getting louder.
A national database would include the names, pictures, postcodes and past convictions of child sex offenders.
Without it being accessible, Andrew Carpenter, who represents victims in civil cases, believes ‘no one is safe’, as per Courier Mail.
“No one is safe without knowing who is around them,” he said.
The Federal Government would have to get the states and territories to reform their policies to establish a national registry.
While the Anthony Albanese Government claims they are addressing the matter and speaking to experts, Carpenter said they would need to act swiftly as abusers frequently re-offend.
"They do it again, and again, and again. It’s continuing to happen and there needs to be greater protection for children around Australia,” he said.
“I think if more people actually knew about the damages caused (by child exploitation) and this wasn’t as taboo as it was, there would be a lot more people wanting to jump up and down and get something in place right away to protect young people.”
Australian detective Jon Rouse, the head of Queensland's anti-online child exploitation unit, said social media presents a paedophile's digital playground and extreme measures need to be enforced, as per 9Honey.
In the Australian documentary, The Children in the Pictures, he said: "The big threat now is the online world. It didn't exist when I was a kid.
"The chances of me coming across a child sex offender when I was out running around, the odds stacked against that are phenomenal.
"But the chances of a child now coming across a child sex offender are exponential."
Rouse, who has worked on crimes against children for 25 years, added: "When we tell you we have abuse going on your platform, when we tell you there is a victim there, don't hide behind false pretence.
"When you know you have a victim you just have to give everything you can. That's our best chance in rescuing them."
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