SPECIAL REPORT | Proposed amendments to the Child Act, among others, answer public clamouring for a sex offenders registry to safeguard children following several high-profile cases.

The amendments will see the consolidation of information of sex offenders into a new specialised registry which will be made accessible to the public.

The registry will contain information such as the name, identity card number, details of the offences and photographs of the sex offender.

Unlike the proposed registry, the current registry is not available to the public.

While public accessibility is welcomed by those in the field, some experts question if there are safeguards to protect the rights of the convicts as well. This is especially of concern after the rehabilitation of sex offenders.

According to the Registration of Criminals and Undesirable Persons Act 1969, offenders now remain on the current list for 70 years.

But Nuraisyah Chua Abdullah believes this needs to change...