Romania passes law prohibiting sexual offenders from working with children
Romanian president Nicusor Dan has approved a law which explicitly prohibits convicted sexual offenders, registered in the Sexual Offenders Registry, from working or volunteering in any institution that involves direct contact with children or the elderly.
The law, initiated by senator Ștefan Pălărie, part of the reformist center-right party Save Romania Union, or USR, bans convicted sexual offenders from working or volunteering in schools, hospitals, care centers, sports centers, and other similar institutions.
According to the senator, the law is the product of 2 years of negotiations and debates.
“For too long, potential victims of sexual predators have been left to their fate: children, women, people with disabilities, the elderly, and other vulnerable persons. Through this law, we will provide more safety in schools, hospitals, care homes, and other institutions that work with vulnerable persons. We can prohibit offenders from working with them, and the police can know where they are and what they are doing,” stated Ștefan Pălărie in the press release.
The Sexual Offenders Registry was created in 2019. Currently, it contains information about 65,000 people.
The new normative act also makes it so that the registry will include information regarding the offender’s workplace, information that was previously missing. Persons registered in the Registry will be required to notify the police if they enter into an employment or volunteer contract.
Last month, a Recorder investigation showed how a 45-year-old man from Sibiu County who had been repeatedly convicted for sexual acts with minors, trafficking of minors, and child pornography, received approval from the Romanian state to establish, in 2021, an association for the protection of children and young people with disabilities.
The certificate of establishment of the association was issued in the same year as his inclusion in the Sexual Offenders Registry. In 2024, he began committing new sexual offenses, such as storing and distributing videos showing sexual acts committed by children aged between 8 and 12 years.
(Photo source: LCVA|Dreamstime.com)
