Urgent need for national register of sex offenders By Shutapa Paul
Shiv Kumar Yadav, the Uber cabbie who recently raped a 27-year old woman in Delhi, has raped many more women, he told the Delhi Police, almost with a sense of accomplishment. He said women can't resist his charm, he fantasises about his female passengers, his mobile phone is stocked with porn, contraceptives lie in his glove compartment. The list of his victims seem endless, including his own aunt. At least thrice cases of alleged rape have been filed against him in the past. He was out on bail when he chanced upon his latest victim.
Around this time two years ago, just as winter was settling its grip on the capital, another young woman was mercilessly raped and tortured. The sheer brutality of the Nirbhaya rape of 2012 left people shocked and angry. This was followed by the Shakti Mills rape where the rapists were found to be repeat sex offenders. The call for a national register for sex offenders became stronger. However, till now, only Delhi police has implemented this on their website. Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai have no such record on their websites.
Shiv Kumar Yadav however, was not on the Delhi police sex offender's list since he hadn't been convicted yet. Some studies suggest that sex offenders, at least more than half the time, are repeat sex offenders. Like Shiv Kumar Yadav, the sex offenders who go scotfree only get bolder. But unlike in the US or UK, India has no way of keeping a tab on them. US for example has almost 7.7 lakh registered sex offenders, which means 250 per every 100,000 Americans are sex offenders. UK has over 40,000 such names registered on its list, called ViSOR (Violent and Sex Offender Register). France and China both have versions of such a register as well.
These sex offenders live within restrictions. They can't live too close to children, schools, parks etc. They have to furnish their personal details to the state administration. Their lives and habits are monitored. Human rights activists may cry foul over the loss of their chance at rehabilitation. But how is accepting sex offenders within the social fold a solution? A sex crime, unlike a murder, has a greater chance of being repeated. Therefore, it is incumbent that a sex crime be treated differently.
It will take a lot of aggressive campaigning to create awareness about women's rights. It may take a lifetime to change the retrograde mindset of Indian men. But till then, some small steps can make India safer for women. May be the Uber rape could have been prevented, if Shiv Kumar Yadav, a repeat sex offender, featured on the list of sex offenders. We need a national register for sex offenders, including names of those not convicted.
