A sex offender register is not going to be any protection against the uncle who visits every month, or the step-father or cousin. The number of children whose abuser is a stranger is very, very low. Apart from the problems you guys have rightly raised with a public list, it also deludes parents into believing their children are 'safe' as long as you know who lives nearby that has been convicted of a 'sex' offence. And it's important to remember that out of the many, many sex crimes (including against children) that occur only a tiny percentage lead to a conviction. So all in all it's a very flawed proposition.

We can protect our children better by talking to them than hiding the issue from them and focussing on public information.