Argentina approves rapist registry

July 04, 2013 05:05 pm | Updated 05:05 pm IST - BUENOS AIRES

The signboard reads in Spanish "My body and my clothes are none of your business." Argentina has decided to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living in their communities.

The signboard reads in Spanish "My body and my clothes are none of your business." Argentina has decided to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living in their communities.

Argentina’s Congress has approved a law creating a national registry with the DNA of rapists.

The lower house passed the law with 211 votes in favour and one against Wednesday. It had already been approved by the Senate.

The registry will store the DNA of convicted rapists and sex abusers collected at the crime scene as well from victims when criminals have not been caught.

Access to the database is restricted to prosecutors and judges and will be stored for 100 years from the opening of a case.

It’s based on Megan’s Law, which requires law enforcement agencies to notify the public about convicted sex offenders living in their communities.

Megan’s Law is named after 7-year-old Megan Kanka who was murdered in the U.S in 1994 by a sex offender.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.