New Delhi (CNN)India is to launch a national register of sex offenders in a bid to combat a rise in reports of sexual violence against women and children, following nationwide outrage over a string of high-profile gang rape cases.
The National Database of Sexual Offenders (NDSO), which will be accessible only to law enforcement agencies, currently contains the details of more than 440,000 offenders convicted of rape, gang rape, child sex crimes and sexual harassment, according to a home ministry statement.
The database will include the names, addresses, photographic ID and fingerprints of offenders, but “will not compromise any individual’s privacy,” said the statement.
