General Chat

Mo.

On TV now - Sarah Payne's parents are still trying to push through Sarah's law in this country to give our children and parents the right to know if we have child rapist's in our community. Are you for or against Some are against as it may cause vigalanties As a Mum I'm for this and would welcome the law if it meant I could keep me child safe Joanne

Yes i'm with them on this one, Lil

Yes - definately for it. Heather x

they shouldnt be on a register just hung or castrated

Hear hear Malc

I don't think it's the answer.

so what if it did cause vigilanties???? least other kids would be protected the law in this country does very little to ensure that, in fact the law does very little to protect the victims of any kind course now if you are the perpetrator then...........................

very much for it , i would like to know my children are safe when they are out . but then again my kids wouldnt be out if i knew there was one near me. Rosex

must add to this before i pop off to bed as a adult survivor of child abuse i hope they manage it they all want moving to a island and live together or killed.

i think its all very well having registers of paedophiles etc, but what is the good if the general public are not aware of these spineless people. who's best interest is looked after by supressing their names??

On TV a dectective says that the law would drive them underground and make them more of a danger to our kids In America Megan's law has seen child sexual abuse/ murder cases drop by 40%, that's 40 kids out of every 100 now safe at home with their parents and not dead Joanne

Have you heard about the man who was attacked because some people heard that he was a Pediatrician?

I think every parent in this country has the right to know if a child rapist moves into their street. My childrens safety is more important to me than the rights and privacy of these 'monsters'. Mollie

Here in Washington State everyone has a right to know if there is someone convicted of sexual offences moving into their area. I live in a town of around 2000 people and every so often there is a meeting at the town hall to advise anyone interested of someone who will be moving into the area if they are a registered sex offender. Far from instigating vigilante action, it gives everyone the opportunity to be aware, to raise objections and to keep their children safe. People who are a danger to society give up any rights to anonymity and parents do not have to protect their children from a faceless enemy. It's not nice, and it's not a perfect system, but it seems to work well enough here.

Thanks Felicity it's great to have imput from someone who see's how the law actually works and the pro's and con's Joanne

I don't see how it can help. The abusers of most children (about 90%) are relatives, friends and neightbours who are known to the parents and trusted by them. While you are worried about keeping your child away from the paedophile you know about, you are likely to drop your guard about that nice friend of your husband or Uncle Jim or that lovely couple from next door. All our children need to be taught that their bodies are their own and no-one (no-one at all) is allowed to do anything that makes them uncomfortable. AND that if anyone tells them to keep something a secret from Mum and Dad, that person is probably not a good person. AND that if someone tells them that they (the child) will get into trouble if they tell another adult about what's happened, then the adult is lying. Arm your children so they can protect themselves from the lies and deceptions that paedophlies use and they will stay safe in all but the rarest of awful situations where a child is snatched. A paedophile who is still planning to do that sort of thing is not going to register with the local police - he will move somewhere else and go underground so Sarah's Law will not help you identify him. Monica

I'm with you on this Joanne. I think everyone has the right to know if someone like that lives in their area. Lindax

Monica is right that we must ensure that are children are aware of the dangers and that msut abusers are known to the family, but in those rare cases where we don't know them and are unable to protect our kids do we not have the right to know of the dangers? If an old lady is mugged, it is in the papers and the person if caught is named and their picture shown - should convicted abusers not be named and pictured publicly? Where Sarah payne was playing on the day she was snatched there were 30 known child abusers in that area - In the words of her own mother Do we as parents not have the right to know when a dangerous child rapist is living in our street? Love the debate guys! Joanne

I'm not going to be very popular for saying this.I don't agree they should be named. In Britain 97 per cent of offenders are on the register. By contrast, in the United States it is believed that Megan's Law has deterred offenders from registering (only 15 per cent are believed to have done so). If there were in Britain a Sarah's Law, therefore, such men might disappear further into the shadows, which no-one can want. But even if offenders are sent to prison, what happens inside? Therapy is very hit and miss and most get no help in changing their behaviour. Yet it has been established that treatment of paedophiles can reduce reoffending. The aim is to help them to tackle and change their distorted attitudes, understand their psychological effect on the victim, and accept responsibility for the results of their actions, while learning to avoid high-risk situations. Paedophiles should be sectioned and confined to a mental health institution and be brought to recognise the consequences of what they had done and thus accept personal responsibility. The facts are that children are most likely to be sexually assaulted by someone they know – a family friend, a relative or a parent. About 60 per cent of those who abuse young girls are related to them. The number of predatory paedophiles is very small, assault by strangers accounts for only five per cent of all cases I agree with Monica, arm your children to be aware of such people and ensure you know yourself where your children are and who with at all times. I know that's not always easy. Gillie xx