Plans to establish a register of convicted paedophiles are too narrow and should be expanded to include all sex offenders, the director of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said yesterday.
Ms Olive Braiden said that while she welcomed the Government's plans, the move was "just one tiny step in the management of sex offenders".
The Department of Justice confirmed that the Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, has decided to establish a register of convicted paedophiles.
A discussion document to be published within a few weeks will seek submissions on how exactly the register should work.
The Minister had originally planned to seek submissions on whether a register should be established at all, but has now made the decision that it will be established, the spokesman said.
He had brought the decision forward because of concerns that paedophiles might come to the Republic from Northern Ireland and Britain following the introduction of a register there.
The move was welcomed by Ms Madeleine Clarke of Barnardos, who said paedophiles were notorious re-offenders.
Concerns had been raised about the civil rights of the people concerned, but the best interests of children should be the primary consideration in deciding on the issue. It would be ridiculous to leave convicted paedophiles free to apply for paid or voluntary work with children while denying child-care organisations the facility to find out that they had been convicted of paedophile offences.
Ms Braiden said she was strongly opposed to any notion that paedophilia was the main problem to be resolved. Paedophiles accounted for a small proportion of sex offences against children.
"There are people who sexually abuse children but who also rape grown adults, both male and female," she said.
"The majority are abused in the family by uncles, fathers, grandfathers, partners, and these are not paedophiles."
The register should be widened to include all sex offenders. There should be a treatment programme for very young sex offenders when they were at a stage where they could be helped to change their behaviour.
It was also vital to have more programmes in schools aimed at encouraging children to report abuse.