By Natasha Joseph
A national register designed to track the location of convicted sex offenders will have only "limited value" in a South African context, and may in fact contribute to making children more vulnerable, says children's advocacy group Childline.
And there is a danger that the new register will supersede and compromise what Childline describes as a "more useful" register, which already exists and lists any person found guilty of any crime, sexual or otherwise, against children.
The Sexual Offences Bill, passed by parliament in December, allows for the creation of a Sexual Offenders Register.
This will be promulgated in parliament this week and come into effect on June 16.
Similar registers exist around the world, including in the United Kingdom and the United States.
Childline's national co-ordinator, Joan van Niekerk, said the register's stated intention was to prevent convicted sex offenders from being hired to work with children.
However, she said, South Africa's conviction rate of child sexual abuse was "very low" - only one in nine children report abuse, and recent studies indicate that only 4 percent of cases will result in a conviction. This would mean that very few sex offenders would actually be listed on the register, said Van Niekerk.
Other sex offenders might never be caught, or might only start abusing children once placed in a position of trust.
There was also a danger that parents or caretakers might "let down their guard" because they believed their children were safe from registered sex offenders.
She said there were also ways for people to "get around" the register by obtaining false identity documents.
The register is neither "public" nor "open", said Van Niekerk.
"The people who have access (to the register) are those who employ others who work with children."
She said it would be an offence to disclose information listed on the register.
An offenders' register, provided for by the Children's Act, already exists.
South Africa's child protection sector is "so short of resources... it's downright irresponsible (to establish a second register)."
Childline and other children's groups addressed this issue with the portfolio committee on justice, but this had yielded no results, she said.
The department of justice did not respond to requests for comment.
Van Niekerk said the establishment of sexual offenders' registers worldwide was increasingly perceived as "feel-good legislation".
"To protect your child, know where they are, all the time. Nothing replaces parental vigilance."