Should India Have A Local Sex Offender Registry Website Like The US?

A thread on Reddit talked about a US government website that registers all local sex offenders, their offences and risk level along with their address and photograph. This sex offenders list is available for public viewing. This makes us question if India too needs a registry website like that.

Sex offenders are not easy to detect and their presence always remains a safety concern for families with children and women. For safety concerns like this, the US government has a website that has registered all local sex offenders so that people can look them up according to the locality and decide whether they want to send their kids to school there or want to buy a house nearby.

Safety from sex offences is a major concern for India as well and this makes us question, what if India too had such a site?

Suggested Reading: Sexual Assault Cases In US Military Academies On Rise: Report

Sex Offenders List Website In India

Shared by @women on Reddit, the thread talked about how the US website had every information about the sex offender from their picture and offence to their address and level of risk. The website also updated people about safety tips and news about the community and served as a great tool for people with kids or anyone in general. People in the comment section revealed how they used the website and found sex offenders within walking distance from an elementary school and their homes.

Such a website would be a great tool to spread awareness in India about sex offences. In India, people usually don't go in-depth to inquire about a locality before building a house there or sending kids to school there. This majorly happens because of a lack of reliable resources. If a website like this will be active in India, it would become easier to determine safe regions for their family. But then again, it is important that the website is updated regularly and contains reliable and complete information as well as is in control of the unbiased authority.

However, considering the amount of fake sex offence cases in India and thousands of unresolved cases of sex offences in courts, it will become difficult to include each and every justly charged offender as often the innocent are charged instantly and the offenders live life freely while their cases remain pending in courts for years. Not to forget, many sex offences are not even reported because the offender is a close relative or a powerful person. The website should also remain out of the influence of powerful people in society and should be curated without corrupt ways.

The website, if introduced and implemented properly, will not only be an eye-opener for the people in society and will also discourage such offenders from committing more crimes in the fear of being recognised by people on a public forum and the embarrassment that will follow. This will also help the government to determine areas and localities that have more sex offenders living there and focus on making them safer for people to live in. This step, if initiated and operated with proper care and consideration about public welfare, can turn out to be a great step towards controlling cases of sex offences in India.