Curious - this essay like a few others has attracted little heat - Hmmmm? - I reckon there is as much to learn about the readership here from what is not remarked on.

I have always felt the public lists were more about revenge than protection and more than a little about some men feeling insecure about all mannerof things sexual.

They also assuage some community guilt where some feel as though they've let these bad things happen - and these lists are kind of a rear gaurd action and a public show of concern and regard for the well being of others - too little too late.

Well said Sneeky. I saw this article earlier this morning and thought to offer a post myself, but then I thought...."Hang on a minute," and took a step back. The issue of sexual abuse, especially with regards to children, is a very emotional issue. One wrong word could find a poster in serious hot water through possible mis-interpretation, so I took the cowards way out and didn't post at all. I'm sure many potential posters feel the same way. Although many may feel that public "outing" and in some cases, violent repercussions for the registered offender goes against the moral fabric of our society, to say so risks being seen as sympathetic to the offender and so be branded as such by the general community. None the less, it was an excellent article and I applaud the authors bravery for both having survived such horrific abuse and for having the courage to turn her life around and help sexual offenders.

It really is time for all societies to get beyond the "old Testament" of punishment to using a 21st century understanding and treatment. I've heard the stories of people coming out of prison "cured" of their gross offence but, I've never met one. My understanding is that there is a greater than 80% recidivism. I've also read that as high as 13% of the inmate population is innocent and falsely accused. I'm not against jailing someone for a proven crime against society. I just don't believe that it should be our first and only course.

The purpose of publicly available sex-offender registers is not about revenge, but about alerting parents to the presence in their community of a person previously convicted of a sex offence. I am not a parent but I believe parents have a right to know about the presence of such individuals near to their children. Sex offending is not like burglary or other criminal offending, it's a sexual proclivity, just in the way some people are attracted to the opposite sex and others are attracted to the same sex. Decades ago "therapists" tried to "treat" homosexuality. We all know it was a failure because you can not change someone's sexual preferences. The same applies to those attracted to children for sexual gratification. The only answer is to lock them up until they are too old to offend again.

Barbara is right that there have been some tragedies in relation to allegations to do with sexual abuse.

A gay man was bashed to death in Melbourne because a woman accused him of raping her.

Recently another male was killed because of unproven allegations or it was beleived that he was an abuser.

It has stuck in my caw that Dr Peter Hollingsworth was the scarifical lamb. Judged by todays standards against how he treated allegations of sexual abuse decades ago.

All of us make errors of judgement and do things big or small that we later regret. Some will learn from their errors and some wont.

Sex offender registers are dangerous, and a bizarre way to admit to a failed policy towards dealing with these deviants.

People get the names wrong, they lynch the wrong guy with the same name, it promotes fear and suspicion, instead of alleviating it. This has already happened in the UK and US.

Governments and the legal profession are too gutless to admit that the vast majority of people who commit sexual offences against children are incapable of controlling their compulsion and their affliction is life long. Admit this and it necessarily follows that most should be detained at Her Majesty's pleasure. Chemical castration will work for some but, studies show, not all. But suggest that taking medication should be part of a molester's bail conditions (even if they themselves are willing!) and you'll have the civil liberties cretins on your case.

Physical castration should also be allowed, if the offender requests it.

Don't get me wrong. No community should be exposed to a habitual sex offender, but they should be locked up for good rather than putting them near children and painting a big arrow outside their house.