By Emma Randle
People who work with children are now obliged to obtain a certificate proving they are not included on a new register of sex offenders that came into force this month.
The ‘Registro de Delincuentes Sexuales’ came into operation on March 1 after a law was passed last July bringing Spain in line with European child protection laws already in force in other countries such as the UK.
The register includes the identity details and genetic profile (DNA) of convicted sex offenders with the aim of “facilitating the investigation and prosecution of sex crimes” and preventing convicted sexual offenders from working with children, according to the ministry of justice.
Around 50 Almería residents are reportedly already on the register.
The introduction of the new law should prevent cases such as that of a convicted Columbian paedophile who practised as a paediatrician in Almería province for five years before detection in 2013.
