Ethiopia to launch national sex offence register

Ethiopia's first-ever sexual violence registration system is in the works and set to start operations next year, the government has said.

The system which aims to prevent and respond to sexual violence against women and children is hoped to make an impact in a country where prosecuting gender-based violence is a major challenge.

According to a 2016 survey, 23% of Ethiopian women have experienced physical violence and 10% have experienced sexual violence. People often underreport such experiences so the true number is likely to be higher.

The anticipated system will hold sex offenders accountable even after they serve time for their crimes.

When it's operational, it will exclude registered sex offenders from working in schools, orphanages, and other children's institutions, the women's rights and protection executive in the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs Seleshi Tadesse told BBC News Amharic.

With a budget of around 10m birr ($176,000; £140,000) due to be contributed by various institutions, the national sex offence crime registry is proposed to have three types of pages, including a public page.