Government somersaults on planned closed Sex Offenders Registry following public pushback; President instructs Bill be sent to Special Select Committee

The Government of Guyana somersaulted on its position on introducing a Closed Sex Offenders Registry this afternoon following major push back from the public.

In a statement this afternoon that came hours after the Human Services Minister defended plans for a closed Sex Offenders Registry, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo announced that the President has instructed that the Sexual Offenses Amendment Bill, which caters for the introduction of the Sex Offenders Registry be sent to a Special Select Committee in the National Assembly.

The Vice President said the President has also indicated that it is his view, and the view of the Cabinet, that any register of sex offenders must be public, adding that he also shares that view.

The announcement of the President’s decision was quickly followed by a statement on social media by the Minister of Human Services, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, who had hours earlier defended a closed Sex Offenders Registry in a two-page statement from her Ministry.

In her new statement this afternoon, the Minister said she also holds the view that the Sex Offenders Register should be an Open Register.

She stated, however, that the Bill was crafted based on the view of the public consultations, which she said overwhelmingly suggested a closed register.

“My intention as subject Minister is to propose to have the Bill taken to Select Committee in Parliament to have it further discussed by members. It will benefit from more scrutiny and views at that Committee”, Persaud said.

The decision to now pursue an open register instead of the proposed closed register was welcomed across social media, even as persons continued to question the original position of the Human Services Ministry that the proposal was based on public consultation.

Laid in the National Assembly last Friday, the Bill was seeking to strengthen protection for victims of sexual offences, harmonise the procedures, make it easier for cases of sexual offences to be addressed by the Courts, and significantly provide for “no statute of limitations.”

But while most of the proposed amendments have received little to no objection, there was widespread criticism of Clause 15 of the proposed Bill that would have allowed for a closed sex offenders register to be established.

According to the Bill that was presented last Friday, the National Sex Offender Database will serve as a centralized system of recording information in relation to persons convicted of sexual offences under the Act.

In its statement last evening defending the original Bill, which is now being sent to a Special Select Committee, the Ministry said to ensure total transparency and maximum civic participation, the draft legislation was subjected to widespread in-person consultations and was hosted publicly on the official website of the Ministry of Legal Affairs for two years to facilitate public input and recommendations.

According to the Ministry, during those consultations, persons “overwhelmingly” advocated for the establishment of a closed model registry in keeping with international standards.

The Ministry said last evening that Guyana was adopting a closed registry model, an architecture that mirrors the legislative standard utilised by a majority of countries.

The Human Services Ministry even questioned whether family members of convicted sex offenders, particularly children, should endure dire consequences simply because of their relation to a sex offender.

There are now calls for a true national consultation to be held on all of the proposals in the amendment Bill as it will be moved to the Special Select Committee.

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