MOVES to encourage victims to report their cases and lifetime professional bans for people convicted of sexual abuse are some of the changes in the proposed new Criminal Code approved by the cabinet on February 20. It will also bring Slovak law into line with EU directives.
One change is intended to encourage victims of crimes like human trafficking or child pornography to report their cases. To do this, the amendment will remove the risk of victims being prosecuted for offences which they have committed in the course of being mistreatment, the SITA newswire reported.
The limitation period for various criminal acts committed against children will expire three years after victims reach adulthood, to create sufficient time for victims to decide whether to report a crime or not. Another change relates to sexual crimes by some professions like teaching employees or lawyers. In cases of sexual abuse court will be able to punish criminals with a lifetime ban on their activity.
“The possibility of a criminal having contact with a group of people from which he or she can choose his or her sexual victims could be precluded by this,” Justice Minister Tomáš Borec told SITA.
The crime of denying or approving of the Holocaust and the crimes of political regimes will be added to the list of extremist criminal acts, according to SITA. In cases of suspected extremism, use by law enforcement authorities of agents and digital technology such as wiretaps and bugs will also be permitted.