Over the past seven months, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska has recorded 51 criminal offenses against sexual integrity and sexual abuse and exploitation of a child, while in the same period last year, one more case was recorded.
The Ministry stated that there were 25 criminal offenses against sexual integrity, 12 related to sexual harassment, there were six rapes, three criminal offenses of incitement to prostitution, in two cases lewd acts and misuse of photographs and videos of sexually explicit content were committed.
“In the area of criminal offenses of sexual abuse and exploitation of a child, 26 criminal offenses were recorded, which is four fewer than in the same period last year,” the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs stated.
10 criminal offenses of sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 15 were committed, and in 12 cases children were used for pornography.
“Sexual abuse of a child over 15 years of age was recorded in three cases, and one criminal offense was committed by exploiting a computer network,” the Ministry of the Interior added.
The Ministry of the Interior reminds that they cannot publicly announce the number of pedophiles recorded in the register of persons convicted by final judgment for the criminal offenses of sexual abuse and exploitation of children, and that this data may be provided to courts, public prosecutors’ offices and internal affairs bodies in connection with criminal proceedings against a person entered in the register.
“Data from the register may also be obtained by bodies, institutions, institutions and associations that, in the performance of their duties, have direct contact with children if there is a justified interest in doing so,” the Ministry of the Interior explained.
Persons convicted of sexual abuse and exploitation of children, according to the Ministry, are obliged to report to the police in their place of residence within 15 days after serving their prison sentence, and are also obliged to do so every six months from the date of serving their sentence.
These persons are also obliged to notify the police of any travel outside their place of residence, the destination and duration of the trip no later than 24 hours before the trip, and to report any change in personal data within three days, which is reported to the organizational unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for maintaining the register.
“In order to protect the safety of children from sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation, it is established that perpetrators of these criminal acts are obliged to refrain from visiting places where children gather, such as school buildings, schoolyards, kindergartens, playgrounds, playrooms, children’s events and the like,” the Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasizes.
The Ministry notes that sanctions have been prescribed for failure to comply with legal provisions, namely a fine of 1,000 BAM to 5,000 BAM or a prison sentence of 30 to 60 days if a person registered in the register fails to fulfill any of the above obligations.
The Ministry of Interior emphasizes that all institutions, institutions and associations that, in performing tasks within their jurisdiction, have direct contact with children have an obligation to request from the competent authority, when hiring or engaging a person to perform tasks that lead to direct contact with children, information about whether that person is registered in the register.
Fines for responsible persons who fail to request this information range from 8,000 BAM to 15,000 BAM, according to the Ministry of Interior.
