Sex offenders should not be denied basic human rights

Dear community of Australia, I would like to address a very controversial subject. The subject here, is that sex offender's are having their basic human rights violated in Australia.

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The information below may take a while to digest, but a long explanation is required, to untangle the years of distorted information that has been fed to the public.
My argument/debate will be presented below.
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Introduction about me:

Personally, I am a "sex offender". I am Not a "violent' "attacker", not a "rapist", I am not one of the 1% of convicted sex offenders in Australia that re-offend. I made the stupid mistake when I was younger. I entered an early guilty plea to indecent treatment of a child, under the age of 15, and indecent exposure. I never intended to hurt anyone at the time, or damage anyone's life. It was a stupid mistake, followed from an urge that I did not understand at the time.

Since then, I did my time in probation, did community service, and agreed to see a psychologist about the conviction, and to better myself through the help of the psychologist.

After two years of seeing the psychologist, I received great remarks in regard to my psychological stability. I still continued to see a psychologist for another year and a half.

I understand why I felt the urges I felt, and I would never do that again. As I said, I never intended to hurt anyone in the past, and I don't intend to in the future. Being equip with the right psychological tools, I can easily resist, and bury those urges in the past, the same way anyone with anger issues can learn to resist violent urges when they are in a stressful or confrontational situation.

Now with that introduction out of the way, I'm going to explain how I believe "sex offenders" are being discriminated against, and given restrictions based on belief, rather than facts, and that they are having their basic human rights violated.
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Firstly, lets discuss the public view on "Sex Offenders":

The first problem with the "sex offender registry", is that it mixes people who have minor offenses, into the same category as rape, and other violent criminal convictions. In today's society, every time you read an article on "sex offenders", you see them throwing out words like "attacker", "Abduction", "pedophile" "rapist", and "child molester".

Very few people are even aware now, that MOST sex offenders actually committed a minor offense, caused very little damage/harm to their victim long term, and have been re-rehabilitated, in order to prevent the crime from happening again. The rate of repeat offense conviction is very low. The rate of sex offenders re-offending (being proven of re-offending) in Australia is lower than ALL other categories of crime, except murder.
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Convictions of a sexual nature, are never considered for expungement or sealing, even if rehabilitation is evident:

I think this is a direct form of discrimination, based on belief, and sexual orientation, rather than facts. I also believe this is in direct violation of our right to be treated as an individual.

When a convict applies for a record to be expunged, or sealed, the decision should be made based on evidence put forth to show that they have been rehabilitated, and no longer pose a threat.

When such an application is made, the person should be judged as an INDIVIDUAL, not as a broad category. In the case of ANYONE with a sexual offense, they are Automatically denied, and are not judged on an individual basis.

Sexual urges can be resisted, the same way as any other urge can in any other category of criminal behavior. It would seem to me, that this rule is in place only to please the public, based on a false broad public belief that sex offenders are all violent criminals, with sexual urges toward children that cannot be controlled.

The broad assumption that a sex offender cannot be rehabilitated to the point they are no longer a threat to the public, is absolutely incorrect, unfair, unfounded, and unjust.
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The right to not be punished for the same conviction, more than once - Inhumane form of punishment:

Any legal authority will tell you, the main goal of a convicting someone, is not so much for the purpose of "punishing", or shaming the offender. but rather to rehabilitate them to the point that they will no longer commit such a crime, and to be eventually released back into the community.

So why is it, that "sex offenders" are often released into the public under probation, or parole, put through rehabilitation programs, but still denied the ability to ever move on from their conviction, and reintegrate into the community?

The answer is, because while the facts show that many individuals no longer pose a threat(and the officials know this), the current view of the public, is that all sex offenders have an incurable psychological illness, and that it is impossible for them to be "cured" ever.

There is absolutely 0 conclusive evidence to show the above public opinion to be true. The ONLY reason to be imposing such violations of human rights, is to get MORE VOTES from the public.

How is it necessary to put a "sex offender" onto a national registry, mixed into a category of horribly violent crimes, regardless of the severity of their crime, for the rest of their lives, and never given the opportunity to show the court that they don't pose a threat to the public anymore? Once again, because of public belief. NOT because of fact. It is disgusting for a government to be allowed to impose laws solely based on public opinion.

Personally, I have tried to move on with my life, tried to live a normal life, tried to build a career, and have been bottle-necked in EVERY aspect, by my past conviction. I have done everything right, following my conviction, but I still cannot live a normal life, because of this permanent branding.

For the rest of my life...

**** I can never travel overseas, out of fear that I will be rejected, due to Australia sending a letter saying "this man IS a child sex offender". They may as well send a letter saying that I am a child rapist, and that I pose a threat to their country.

**** I cannot have children, or build a family, because I am 100% sterile, and will never be able to apply for adoption, or to foster, or to have a family of my own with my future partner. My punishment may as well have been castration.

**** If my future partner already has children, they would be notified by child protection agencies, that I am a child sex offender. Once again (due to public understanding), they may as well go ahead and say that I am a child rapist, and that I wish to harm their children.

**** If I live with, or close to anyone who has children, they are also notified of my convictions, and given the opportunity to evict me.

**** I will never be able to pursue my career in medicine and natural therapy, because when I get a job under anyone in this industry, the employer is warned by child protection agencies.
**** It is very evident, that I will suffer punishment for the rest of my life, regardless of weather or not I pose a threat to the public anymore.
**** I'm virtually castrated, in constant fear of humiliation, in fear of ever falling in love with anyone, and will forever have this conviction haunting every action or commitment in my life.
**** My 4 year marriage was destroyed, because I could not have children, and could not adopt with my partner.

I have served my time for my conviction, yet I will still suffer punishment in the above forms, over and over, for the rest of my life.
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Judging a person based on their sexuality, is a violation of an individual's civil rights. The same thing should apply to people who have once had a sexual urge toward children, or even those who still do have such urges, regardless of how disgusting and morally wrong the thought is. Thoughts don't hurt people. Actions do. Therefore, if a "pedophile" does not insight action from these urges, he/she should not be treated differently, punished, or denied the ability to be rehabilitated and re-integrated into society if he/she is a convict.

It should not matter if a "pedophile" has thoughts about children he/she see's while walking down his street. If they do not follow those thoughts with an action, they are NOT going to harm anyone. Period.

It is a very common misconception, that a "pedophile" is a person who has the urge to take advantage of, abuse, and hurt children. This is absolutely not true.
In most cases, convicted pedophiles never sought to hurt anyone, and possibly even previously saw their relationship as that of a loving one. This is where re-rehabilitation can allow for such a convict to gain an understanding of their urges, an understanding that acting on those urges will hurt others, and that inappropriate actions following those urges, need to be stopped, then given the psychological tools, to avoid it from happening again.
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Conclusion:

I believe that many of the rules, restrictions, and punishments imposed on people with sexual convictions, are absolutely unjust, unfounded, unnecessary, cruel and unusual, and discriminatory based on sexual orientation.

I believe people with sexually related convictions in Australia are having their basic rights violated in many ways, and the worst part of it all, is that they have to suffer in silence, because the public view of the word "sex offender" is so badly distorted by media, that if a such a person even rears his/her head to defend himself, he becomes victim of a public witch hunt for the rest of his/her life.
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I believe It's time that sex offenders were given their human rights back. I am human, just as everyone else is, I have flaws just as everyone else does, and I can learn to control, and manage those flaws, just as everyone else can.

Please sign this petition, to request we all be given fair chance to move on from previous convictions, and to have human rights given to EVERYONE, including sex offenders.