Zandoli International presents petition for Sex Offender Registry

A petition bearing over 1,000 signatures was presented to Minister of Health and Human Services, Alvina Reynolds, on Monday by Zandoli International Foundation, which is lobbying government to create a Sex Offender Registry in an effort to combat sex crimes in Saint Lucia.

Communications Director of Zandoli International Foundation, Norbert Williams, said the petition was well received by the Minister and other officials of that ministry and his organization is now hopeful that the petition will get the priority that it deserves.

Williams said now that the Minister is in possession of the petition, she will have to first present it to Parliament for discussion and it will then be forwarded to the relevant agency to handle the content of that petition.

“We are watching. We are aware that a number of organizations before have come along this way and we haven’t got too much of a result because we are still in the same position we’ve been for many years, although we have laws on the books,” Williams added.

Williams said his organization’s work goes beyond advocating for a Sex Offender Registry, but is also focused on seeing that sex crimes in Saint Lucia, particularly child molestation and rape, are significantly lowered.

“Rapes have gotten quite a bit of exposure and publicity because a number of high-profile incidents and particularly late last year with the rape of a 97-year-old woman in Mon Repos,” he said.

The Zandoli International Foundation official stated that for too long, nothing is done to address this issue and there is already public outcry about the need to do something that is meaningful and concrete to protect the children and vulnerable groups, particularly women, in Saint Lucia.

“We have to look at it from a holistic standpoint, because it’s not only looking at the registry and putting peoples name on the books, but we have to be concerned about enforcement. We also have also be concerned about what the education system is doing in terms of instilling values in young people today and we have to look at how the churches deal with people who have been affected,” he added

But more importantly, Williams is of the opinion that attention must also be paid to how government agencies respond to these issues and they must see how best they can work with all partners to ensure that something is done quickly to address this longstanding issue.

While some have predicted that creating a Sex Offender Registry here could prove catastrophic, especially for a small island state, Williams have suggested otherwise and said there is no evidence to prove that.

“We have a number of people convicted and they go about their normal business in Saint Lucia and nobody can point to any incident of any repercussions being touted as a negative for the Sex Offender Registry. In all states and every country where a Sex Offender Registry has been established, there is always strict guidelines on the use of those registries and there is always a strict disclaimer.”

On the other hand, Williams said in all the arguments, very rarely do people hear anything being said about the repercussions the victims of these crimes face.

Zandoli International Foundation has received the support of several local organisations.