Activists have welcomed the decision by the government to establish a sex offenders' registry calling the move a positive step towards curbing the rising number of rape and defilement cases.

Busingye explains that the registry will help law enforcement and justice to track repeat offenders and serve as a reference point wherever background information is required about a particular individual for particular administrative and/or legal reasons.

The Spokesperson of NPPA Faustin Nkusi told The New Times in a telephone interview that establishing the sex offenders' registry is aimed at further strengthening measures to protect women and children from abusers.

For MP Suzanne Mukayijore, a member of the Rwanda Parliamentary Network on Population and Development, there is a need to take offense like defilement that had sent numbers of teen pregnancies skyrocketing to the grassroots level.

Mukayijori told The New Times that speaking up is still a challenge in the Rwandans society, especially in rural areas, but holding families and society accountable will significantly contribute to lowering the numbers.