The anticipated Sex Offenders Register has not been established since the enactment of the Sexual Registry Act of 2021.
Speaking in Parliament recently, Assistant Minister for State President Maipelo Mophuting said the institutional and administrative mechanisms required to bring the Register into effect remain pending.
“Consideration to operationalise it is currently being evaluated with significant resource implications, including the establishment of a sexual offenders intersectoral council with a secretariat,” Mophuting explained.
Mophuting said the government acknowledges the need to establish this register to provide public awareness and protect communities against sex crimes. Once it is done, it will be open to the public.
She explained that the establishment of the Register involves multiple key stakeholders, including the Botswana Police Service, Botswana Prison Service, Department of Justice, Immigration Services and other relevant agencies.
“The technical, administrative and security considerations required for an integrated and reliable national system necessitate careful coordination among these stakeholders before full implementation can take place,” she said.
Mophuting, who is also MP for Gaborone Bonnington North, further said the instrument is necessary as it can serve as an important tool in providing statistical information that may support evidence‑based policy‑making and socio‑economic planning.
“I am also aware that the Register can deter sexual offences by strengthening accountability frameworks and aligning Botswana with international standards and foreign jurisdictions that maintain similar registries as part of broader efforts to address and prevent sex crimes,” she said.
When the Sex Register was mooted back in 2021, it was expected to also prevent sexual offences, especially by re‑offenders. The Register intends to document a list of people who committed sexual offences in order to monitor them.
An ideal Sex Offenders Register will capture every detail of the offender: title, full names, any known nickname, and where applicable, profession or trade. It also includes the last known physical address of the person and any other contact details such as a postal address, as well as the identity number, passport number or driver’s license number.
In addition, it contains the sexual offence for which the person has been convicted, the sentence, the date, and the relevant prisoner’s number where applicable. The court where the person was tried and convicted, the case number, and the photo of the offender will all be included in the Registry.
Some have argued that once offenders are registered prior to their release, they should remain in the Register for a lifetime, especially child sexual offenders. However, others propose that a sex offender should be allowed to apply to courts to have their particulars removed from the Registry after a certain period.
As a result of the high likelihood of re‑offending, sex offenders would also be expected to disclose that they have been convicted of a sexual offence to a prospective or existing employer in an institution that has vulnerable persons in its care — for example, an institution with people living with disabilities, a school, or an old age home.
In addition, a targeted institution shall not knowingly employ or allow a person who has been convicted of a sexual offence 20 years prior to the commencement of the Act to work or volunteer his or her services in the institution.
In Southern Africa, only South Africa has fully implemented the Sex Offenders Register.
Speaking in Parliament recently, Assistant Minister for State President Maipelo Mophuting said the institutional and administrative mechanisms required to bring the Register into effect remain pending.
“Consideration to operationalise it is currently being evaluated with significant resource implications, including the establishment of a sexual offenders intersectoral council with a secretariat,” Mophuting explained.
Mophuting said the government acknowledges the need to establish this register to provide public awareness and protect communities against sex crimes. Once it is done, it will be open to the public.
She explained that the establishment of the Register involves multiple key stakeholders, including the Botswana Police Service, Botswana Prison Service, Department of Justice, Immigration Services and other relevant agencies.
“The technical, administrative and security considerations required for an integrated and reliable national system necessitate careful coordination among these stakeholders before full implementation can take place,” she said.
Mophuting, who is also MP for Gaborone Bonnington North, further said the instrument is necessary as it can serve as an important tool in providing statistical information that may support evidence‑based policy‑making and socio‑economic planning.
“I am also aware that the Register can deter sexual offences by strengthening accountability frameworks and aligning Botswana with international standards and foreign jurisdictions that maintain similar registries as part of broader efforts to address and prevent sex crimes,” she said.
When the Sex Register was mooted back in 2021, it was expected to also prevent sexual offences, especially by re‑offenders. The Register intends to document a list of people who committed sexual offences in order to monitor them.
An ideal Sex Offenders Register will capture every detail of the offender: title, full names, any known nickname, and where applicable, profession or trade. It also includes the last known physical address of the person and any other contact details such as a postal address, as well as the identity number, passport number or driver’s license number.
In addition, it contains the sexual offence for which the person has been convicted, the sentence, the date, and the relevant prisoner’s number where applicable. The court where the person was tried and convicted, the case number, and the photo of the offender will all be included in the Registry.
Some have argued that once offenders are registered prior to their release, they should remain in the Register for a lifetime, especially child sexual offenders. However, others propose that a sex offender should be allowed to apply to courts to have their particulars removed from the Registry after a certain period.
As a result of the high likelihood of re‑offending, sex offenders would also be expected to disclose that they have been convicted of a sexual offence to a prospective or existing employer in an institution that has vulnerable persons in its care — for example, an institution with people living with disabilities, a school, or an old age home.
In addition, a targeted institution shall not knowingly employ or allow a person who has been convicted of a sexual offence 20 years prior to the commencement of the Act to work or volunteer his or her services in the institution.
In Southern Africa, only South Africa has fully implemented the Sex Offenders Register.
