Tamašunienė revisits sexual offenders register, medication access

Lithuanian Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė said the government was considering a sexual offenders register and more accessible voluntary medication-based treatment for people seeking help to control sexual urges, LRT reported.

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius held a meeting on Monday to discuss institutions’ responses to cases of sexual violence against children. Tamašunienė said several measures had been discussed, including access to medication prescribed by a psychiatrist.

She said officials had discussed reviving the idea of a sexual offenders register that could include not only people convicted of sexual offences but also those suspected of such crimes.

“Nobody is talking about a public register that would apply for life. There would be a set period,” Tamašunienė said. Courts could order people to serve their sentences and then remain on a public register for two or five years, she said, adding that this could deter repeat offences and protect the public’s right to know.

The minister also said the requirement for QR codes for people working with children could be expanded in churches. She said public education should be strengthened so that people can recognise sexual violence and respond appropriately.

Tamašunienė said the ministry was also assessing non-governmental organisations’ concerns about excessive administrative burdens and formalities related to compensation for harm. She added that lawyers representing children and minors should have the necessary specialisation, and that the idea of a child advocate had been raised.

She said more opportunities should be provided for people with urges to commit such offences who wanted psychological or medication-based help. Compulsory treatment was not possible, she said, but some people might want to control their urges.

Tamašunienė said officials should consider expanding the availability and anonymity of such services, or placing the medicines on the list of reimbursed medicines because they were relatively expensive. She said this could be considered if a psychiatrist determined that medication was an appropriate treatment.

The minister said she would meet with church leaders but added that all religious communities should be involved. In her view, they were also interested in ensuring that such cases did not occur or appear to be concealed, and that communities could identify them and respond appropriately.

Priest faces 34 charges

LRT reported that a criminal case against Roman Catholic priest Tadas Švedavičius had been referred to the Vilnius Regional Court. He faces charges related to sexual offences against minors.

The 56-year-old priest is accused of 34 intentional offences classified as less serious, serious and very serious. The charges include the sexual assault of a child, the most serious of the alleged offences, which carries a possible prison sentence of up to 15 years.

He is also accused of possessing child sexual abuse material in two cases, involving a child in drinking on at least 13 occasions, and exploiting a child for pornography in nine episodes. In four cases, he may have sexually abused a person under the age of 16.

Investigators also identified three episodes in which the priest may have engaged in sexual activity with a minor in exchange for payment in violation of the minor’s sexual self-determination, while in two cases he may have sexually assaulted minors.