Following recent tragic incidents, the Malta Association of Social Workers has suggested that a sex offenders’ registry be set up in Malta. The suggestion comes after a 61-year-old man from Birkirkara was convicted of violently raping a 10-year-old girl. The man was sentenced to nine years in prison on Wednesday.

MASW insists that studies have shown that resident rehabilitation programmes administered during a jail sentence are not sufficiently effective.

The introduction of a sex offenders’ registry would serve as a tool to bolster the efficiency of child protection services, as well as preventing risks paedophiles pose to children in a community.