PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has directed that the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, which was presented in the National Assembly on June 5, 2026, be referred to a Select Committee for further consideration.
The announcement was made by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in a statement posted on Facebook, where he also revealed that the President and Cabinet support making any sex offenders registry publicly accessible.
According to Jagdeo, the President has indicated that it is both his view and that of the Cabinet that any register of sex offenders established under the legislation should be made public. The Vice President said he strongly shares that position.
“President Dr Irfaan Ali has instructed that the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, presented in the National Assembly on June 5th, 2026, be sent to a Select Committee. He has also indicated that it is his view, and that of the Cabinet, that any register of sex offenders must be public. I strongly share this view,” the Vice President’s statement read.
The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill was tabled by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, last Friday and seeks to strengthen protections for victims of sexual violence, while introducing Guyana’s first National Sex Offenders Registry.
The referral of the bill to a Select Committee will allow for further scrutiny and consideration of its provisions before it returns to the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, noted that while the bill establishes a Sex Offenders Register for the first time, it was drafted to reflect the views expressed during public consultations, which overwhelmingly favoured a closed register.
“The President, myself and the members of Cabinet hold the view that this should be an Open Register,” Persaud wrote in a statement.
She explained that, as the subject minister, her intention is to propose that the legislation be examined by a Select Committee to allow for further discussion among parliamentarians.
Further a new provision in the legislation would make it a criminal offence to fail to report suspected sexual offences against children and vulnerable adults, with offenders facing a $250,000 fine, or two years in prison. The measure, contained in a proposed Section 86A of the Act, is among several reforms designed to strengthen protections for vulnerable persons and improve the handling of sexual offence cases.
One of the most significant changes is the insertion of a new Section 86A into the Sexual Offences Act, creating a legal duty for employees of both State and non-State institutions to report suspected sexual offences.
Under the proposed section, an employee who works with children and has a reasonable suspicion that an offence under the Act has been committed against a child must submit a written report to the officer in charge of the nearest police station.
Similar obligations would apply to employees who work with vulnerable adults and suspect that a sexual offence has been committed against a person in their care.
The proposed law defines a vulnerable adult as a person with a disability as defined under the Persons with Disabilities Act.
Special provisions have also been included for Indigenous communities where no police station exists. In such instances, reports may be made to the Toshao of the Amerindian village or community, or the Toshao of the nearest Amerindian village or community.
Failure to comply with the reporting requirement would constitute an offence. According to the bill, any person who fails to make the required report would be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $250,000 or imprisonment for two years.
The mandatory reporting requirement forms part of a broader effort to strengthen the response to sexual offences and improve the protection of victims.
