Action Society has launched a campaign urging parents across South Africa to demand the immediate publication of the National Register for Sex Offenders (NRSO), as pressure intensifies on government to make the database publicly accessible. 

The NRSO was established to prevent individuals convicted of sexual offences from working with children and vulnerable persons. However, despite assertions by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Mmamoloko Kubayi, that it would be made public, the register remains inaccessible to the public. 

“Parents are expected to trust that the system is working, but they are denied access to information that could directly affect their child’s safety,” said Juanita du Preez, National Spokesperson for Action Society. 

According to Action Society, more than 26,000 sexual offences against children are reported annually in South Africa, with most perpetrators known to their victims. These crimes often occur in trusted environments such as homes, schools and community spaces. 

“What concerns us is that the risk to children is often not outside their daily lives, but within it. Parents are making decisions about schools, caregivers, and activities without access to information that could help them assess that risk,” said du Preez.  

The organisation is now calling on parents to send formal letters to Minister Kubayi requesting urgent access to the register. Interested parties take part via Action Society’s website. 

“No parent is asking for unnecessary information. They are asking for the ability to make informed decisions about their children’s safety.” 

The organisation has also filed a request under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), seeking clarity on the register’s status, accuracy and availability. 

It is further demanding transparency around the contents and maintenance of the register.  

“If the register is not complete or not up to date, that is something the public needs to know… The only way this changes is if enough people speak up,” du Preez says.

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