Australia's Novel Move Against Pedophiles Gets Results

A law that Australia is hailing as the first of its kind went into effect Wednesday—and was immediately put to use. With an eye on the relative ease with which the country's convicted pedophiles have been able to travel throughout Southeast Asia, where children are typically more vulnerable due to comparatively lax protections, Australia enacted a ban on international travel for the group. Pedophiles are only able to leave the country with permission from law enforcement, and a man stopped at Sydney Airport on the day the new regulation began did not have it, reports the New York Times.

The Australian reports the man's name and destination weren't revealed; he's currently being interviewed by federal police. The law is intended to halt the nearly 2% of Australia's 20,000 registered child sex offenders who have historically traveled overseas without securing permission. The new law can force an offender to surrender his passport and also allows for its cancellation. (More Australia stories.)