The Coalition for the Protection of Children has urged the Government to move forward with a public list of sex offenders, saying that concerns voiced by the Attorney General can be addressed.

Coalition founder Sheelagh Cooper said: “We can appreciate the need to protect the identity of victims. We also recognise the need to avoid further marginalising offenders.

“We acknowledge the level of seriousness associated with offences that fall into this category, and believe there are ways of addressing all of these concerns and still protect the public by ensuring that the identities of serious sexual offenders are a matter of public record.”

In the build-up to the 2012 general election the One Bermuda Alliance pledged to create a public list of sex offenders, but so far no legislation has come before the House of Assembly.

Attorney General Trevor Moniz responded to questions about the sex offenders’ registry last Friday, stating that he would welcome the creation of a working group to look into making such a list accessible to the public, but noted some challenges such a proposal would face.

He said other jurisdictions have found mixed results, with a public list deterring some offenders but increasing recidivism rates for others branded as sex offenders. He also noted the concern that the identification of some sex offenders may inadvertently identify their victims.

Responding to the Attorney General, Ms Cooper said the Coalition would be happy to be a part of a working group to tackle the issue, stating that mechanisms can be put in place to address his concerns.

On the possibility of inadvertently identifying victims, she suggested that the victim or the victim’s parents be consulted, with the offender’s name only being included in the public list if they give permission.

“Our expectance is that most victims would prefer to have the offender’s name out in the public domain,” she said. “Once these names are published in the media any individual or organisation such as the Coalition can themselves maintain a publicly available register. At the moment, a significant portion of those convicted are protected because of the connection to the victim.”

Ms Cooper also said that in California, where the general public can view information about the names and whereabouts of sex offenders at a police station or by calling a toll free number, there has been no evidence of sex offenders being marginalised, leading to reoffending.

“No one is suggesting that these names and addresses are posted in public areas, as is the case in some US states,” she said. “Another concern relates to the potential stigmatisation of someone convicted of indecent exposure while skinny dipping on the beach at night for example. There are a host of similar offences that are technically sexual offences and need not be included in such a list. For that reason the register should only refer to serious sexual offences.

“Not withstanding these concerns, at the end of the day, our primary objective must be the protection of the public from what continues to be a serious problem in our community.”

The Coalition is also proposing a Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) programme for offenders, focused on healing and accountability.

“The programme embodies the recognition that the best protection that a community can have from a sexual predator is both the healing of that person and close monitoring to ensure that the offender is complying with the conditions of probation or parole,” she said. “This programme has been very successful in the United States and in Canada and recent research indicates that offenders involved in COSA have an 85 percent lower risk of reoffending.”

She also said more emphasis needs to be placed on treating sexual offenders, both in custody and in the community as a whole, while sex offenders who refuse to engage in treatment programmes should not be eligible for early release without supervision.