An online petition to create a public sex offender registry in Albania has accumulated more than 24,000 signatures.
The petition was started two days ago, after news broke of four men, including a former school employee, having serially sexually assaulted a 15-year old girl. It is intended to make up for the state’s and the judiciary’s failure to prosecute and convict sex offenders.
It notes that, often, sex offenders have a history of sexual assault. A public registry may prevent repeated sexual offenses and may create a safer environment for victims to come forward.
“The safety of innocent children is more important than abusers’ right to privacy,” the petition statement reads, asserting that people have the right to know if there are people who comprise a danger to them and their families in their area.
The United States currently employs this strategy, with a range of sex offenders’ information being available to the public via websites.
