CYP Now - Interview: Marilyn Hawes, director, Enough Abuse

Somerset is a contender to test a system that could see parents informed about convicted child abusers living in their area, which is based on Megan's Law in the US. But Marilyn Hawes, whose former friend and colleague head teacher Jeffrey Carney was convicted of indecently assaulting two boys, opposes the move in the UK.

Hawes is the director of child protection consultancy Enough Abuse andhas spent time researching how successful Megan's Law has been instopping paedophiles re-offending in the US. She has looked into thestudies by the US-based Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers andfound that the naming and shaming policy in US is far fromsuccessful.

"In the US in 2005 they gave out a press release that said after nearlya decade of implementation there's no research to suggest that communitynotification has decreased sexual abuse re-offending," she says.

"US offenders have to comply with conditions set by the authorities butbecause they have been named and shamed, just 70 per cent touch base.Over here 98 per cent comply with their conditions. That means 30 percent in the states are going underground, that's a greater danger tochildren than we have over here."

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