Action Society accuses government of shielding convicted child sex offenders from public scrutiny by continuing to deny parents meaningful access to the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO). After more than six years of campaigning for public access, the organisation is demanding a published legislative timetable and a firm implementation date for a system that allows parents to check relevant convictions involving adults who have access to their children.
“Government knows who has been convicted of sexually abusing children, yet parents have no general public system through which they can check that information. The effect is to shield convicted perpetrators from scrutiny while families are expected to manage the risk,” says Juanita du Preez, national spokesperson for Action Society.
“Parents are told to be vigilant. They are told to know who spends time with their children. But when they ask for information that could expose a convicted child sex offender, government keeps the register closed.”
Action Society launched a petition for public access since 2020. Since then, the organisation has pursued the matter through public campaigns, formal correspondence and requests for information. On 9 April 2026, it submitted a PAIA application seeking details about the register’s accuracy, maintenance and progress towards public access.
“Six years is more than enough time to recognise the problem and act. Every further delay leaves parents without a practical way to establish whether someone seeking their trust has already been convicted of sexually abusing a child,” says Du Preez.
Action Society supports Ian Cameron’s renewed call to open the register and welcomes the additional pressure for reform.
The organisation’s demand is reinforced by the case of Lavender*, a nine-year-old girl raped in Hanover Park in May 2025. The accused allegedly lured her into his home while on parole following a 2008 conviction for raping and indecently assaulting a ten-year-old child. The case has fuelled Action Society’s calls for stricter parole conditions and public access to the register.
“A previous conviction for raping a child should be information a parent can establish before allowing someone into their child’s life. Lavender’s case shows why we keep demanding that access,” says Du Preez.
“We cannot claim that access to the register would prevent every attack. But withholding relevant information denies families an opportunity to recognise a danger and take precautions.”
In September 2026, Action Society formally proposed regulated public access to information about people who were adults when they committed sexual offences against children and were convicted of those offences. The proposal includes a searchable platform requiring identity verification, or a disclosure process through which parents and caregivers can enquire about someone who has or seeks access to their child.
The organisation says institutional vetting remains essential, but children’s lives extend beyond schools and formal care settings. Parents also make decisions about visits to neighbours, family acquaintances and informal care arrangements.
“Government cannot place the responsibility for protecting children on parents while withholding information that could help them fulfil it. A parent’s concern about an adult with access to their child deserves a reliable answer,” says Du Preez.
Action Society is demanding that the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development:
- Publish a firm timetable for completing and tabling the legislative amendments needed for public access.
- Commit to an implementation date for a usable disclosure system, with clear procedures and response deadlines.
- Provide for verified information, protection of victims’ identities and prompt correction of errors.
- Strengthen institutional vetting while the law is amended and publish monthly processing figures.
Action Society’s proposed public-access system excludes people who were minors when they committed offences, as well as overturned or lawfully expunged convictions. It also provides for safeguards against harassment and misuse.
Access must accompany effective investigations, prosecutions and parole supervision. A name’s absence from the register cannot guarantee safety, particularly where an offender has never been convicted.
“Government must stop allowing legislative delays to serve as a shield around convicted child sex offenders. Address the safeguards, change the law and open the register,” concludes Du Preez.
“Action Society has pursued this demand since 2020. Parents deserve a date, and children deserve the urgency that has been missing for six years.”
*Lavender is a pseudonym used to protect the child’s identity.
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