Antigua to publicise sex offenders registry, what about BVI?

Antigua and Barbuda’s move to publicly identify convicted sex offenders has renewed questions about whether the BVI should follow suit amid growing concerns about the sexual exploitation of minors. Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced over the weekend that he has instructed the country’s Attorney General Sir Steadroy Benjamin to take steps to make Antigua and Barbuda’s Sex Offenders Registry accessible to the public, potentially including the names and photographs of convicted offenders. The registry has operated since 2022, but residents currently have to apply through the Commissioner of Police for information about a specific individual.

Browne acknowledged possible constitutional concerns that may arise, but argued that the public’s right to know must be weighed heavily, particularly when protecting children. The development has revived similar calls in the BVI, where the establishment of a sex offenders registry has been discussed for years. Residents in local social media circles have been applauding Antigua’s move and are again calling on BVI authorities to take steps to establish a public offenders registry in the territory. These renewed calls come amid rumours of outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases among teenage girls who are being sexually abused by adult men in the community. Talk show hosts Cindy Rosan and Claude Skelton Cline have rebuked the issue in recent times, while others have linked the phenomenon to the inability of many families to adequately provide for their children. Late last year, calls for a sex offenders registry intensified after Acting…