UAE EYES REGISTRY FOR SEX OFFENDERS

BY MUIN ABDUL MAJID

DUBAI, July 19 (Bernama) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is planning to
set up a registry for sex offenders in line with steps to draw up comprehensive
laws on child protection, according to a report.

Major Faisal Al Shammari of the Permanent Higher Committee for Child
Protection said sex crimes, particularly those that targeted children, required
"a special sort of treatment".

This would include curtailing the privacy of the criminal record of the
offenders, The National daily quoted him as saying.

The newspaper said the proposed registry would keep a detailed profile of
convicted criminals, including their name, age, place of residence and
biometric data such as fingerprints, eye imprints and facial profile.

It may also include profiles of the type of victim the sex offender
prefers.

Those on the registry may face restrictions on their place of residence and
workplace.

Al Shammari further said that it was also likely to have different
categories of offenders depending on the seriousness of the crime.

Plans to set up the registry came against the backdrop of the death of a
four-year-old boy who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a man at a mosque
in Dubai last year.
-- BERNAMA