A sex offenders register will be set up in Bermuda after legislation was passed in the House of Assembly last night. Opposition MPs welcomed the legal change but raised concerns about how few of the recommendations from a Joint Select Committee report on a register had been adopted. Scott Pearman, the shadow legal affairs minister, congratulated Kim Wilson, the health minister, who presented... Read more
Castle Masters Staff Become SCARS Certified
Bernews | December 5, 2018
Family-owned, fun castle rental business Castle Masters has taken steps to have their staff and volunteers have become certified by child sexual abuse prevention charity SCARS, saying as they are hired at some events to monitor the fun castles while the children play, they “felt it imperative to be SCARS certified to make sure the children in our care are kept safe at all times.” Castle Mas... Read more
Education and Counselling the Missing Ingredients
The Royal Gazette | December 4, 2018
Saving Children and Revealing Secrets is extremely pleased with the statement submitted by the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs with reference to the Criminal Code (Sex Offender Management) Amendment Act 2018, especially given that specific attention is drawn to the impact and threat posed by individuals who prey on children. The amendments recommended to the Act go a long way in ... Read more
Scarred for Life but Unbowed by Child Sex Abuse
The Royal Gazette | November 23, 2018
She became a passionate campaigner in the fight against child sexual abuse and devoted her irrepressible energy to helping those affected. However, when Debi Ray-Rivers launched a charity to raise awareness of the problem in Bermuda, she had still to address the buried trauma of being a victim herself. When she was only 8, she was abused by a babysitter who, in an alarming twist, decades lat... Read more
Ray-Rivers: Separate Register for Child Abusers
The Royal Gazette | November 23, 2018
A campaigner called for two separate sex offender registers yesterday, so one could list only those who target children. Debi Ray-Rivers said the root cause of the crime was different depending on the victim’s age. She welcomed proposed legislation to ensure anyone jailed for a sexual offence is included on a government register and subject to strict controls on release. As the founder ... Read more
Scars Team to Present Talk in Memphis
The Royal Gazette | October 5, 2018
A US conference will hear next week how Bermuda has become a beacon in the fight against child sexual abuse. Debi Ray-Rivers, the founder and executive director of Saving Children and Revealing Secrets, and Jon Brunson, the charity’s chairman, are to present at a three-day event in Memphis, Tennessee, organised by Darkness to Light, a child sex abuse prevention group The Darkness to Light ... Read more