Sex-Offenders’ Registry Coming Next Month
India aims to name and shame those involved in crimes against women.
With an aim to name and shame those involved in crimes against women, a national registry of sex offenders will be launched next month, officials said.
The move comes against the backdrop of a nearly three percent increase in crimes against women and a 12 percent rise in rapes in 2016 as compared to 2015. “The national registry of crimes against women will be launched next month. The records are being sourced from the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS),” a senior Union Home Ministry official said.
The National Crime Records Bureau will be the nodal agency to maintain the sex-offenders’ registry. It will help the law enforcement agencies in identifying the repeat offenders. Citizens too will be aware of those involved in sex crimes, the official said.
According to NCRB data, as many as 38,947 rape cases were registered in 2016, against 34,651 in 2015. Overall crimes against women rose from 3.29 lakh in 2015 to 3.38 lakh in 2016.
Madhya Pradesh reported the highest number of rape cases (4,882) in 2016, followed by Uttar Pradesh (4,816) and Maharashtra (4,189).