The number of registered pedophiles in Serbia, according to the Directorate for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions of the Ministry of Justice, is 675. This is a much higher number compared to July last year, when 544 were registered, reports Euronews Serbia.
Predators are often people from the child's closest environment - a close family member, friend, neighbor.
Read more Innocence without protection
The public was recently taken aback by the news that a monk in Čačak sexually harassed a 13-year-old girl. He has been remanded in custody for 30 days.
Then that the father seduced his 14-year-old daughter in Nis, and then pimped her out with other men.
The police recently arrested 12 people in the continuation of the "Armageddon" action on suspicion of showing, obtaining and possessing pornographic material and exploiting minors between the ages of five and 14 for pornography.
These are all cases that are yet to be processed. Only those who have been legally convicted are registered in the Register of Pedophiles.
What is written in the Register of Pedophiles?
The registry of pedophiles was established in 2015 on the basis of the Law on Special Measures for the Prevention of Criminal Offenses Against Sexual Freedom against Minors, known to the public as Mary's Law.
Marija Jovanović was an eight-year-old girl who was raped and drowned by Mladen Ogulinac from Stari Ledinac in 2010. Since then, she has become a symbol of the fight against pedophilia, and on the initiative of his father, in 2013, Mary's Law was adopted.
Some of the crimes for which convicted persons can be found in the Registry are: rape, sexual intercourse with a child, illicit sexual acts, pimping, intermediation in prostitution, exploiting a minor for pornography.
According to the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions, the Register contains certain data of the convicted person for easier recognition and identification.
These data include his name and surname, social security number, address, employment, photos of the convict, DNA profile, his physical characteristics, such as tattoos, details of the crime he committed, the sentence for which he was sentenced.
Data from the records are kept permanently and cannot be deleted.
Prohibitions are insufficient
Persons who are in the Registry of Pedophiles are prohibited from visiting places where minors gather (kindergartens, schools...), and are required to visit professional counseling centers and institutions.
They are obliged to inform the commissioner (a body of the Administration for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions) and the police about any change of residence or workplace. A person convicted under Mary's Law cannot hold a public office, cannot work with minors in school or kindergarten.
Vanja Macanović from the Autonomous Women's Center said that the state cannot rely on pedophiles reporting a change of workplace or place of residence.
"Serial rapists repeat themselves because when they serve their prison sentences, they return and there is no obligation on the part of the state authorities to monitor them, what they do and where they live." "We think it is important to establish a good system of control by institutions for those who have been convicted and served their sentence," said Macanović.
AE/Euronews Serbia
Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com
