2018 - SCARS Bermuda

MPs Approve Register for Sex Offenders

News | December 15, 2018

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 the... Read more

Castle Masters Staff Become SCARS Certified

News | 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 Maste... Read more

Education and Counselling the Missing Ingredients

News | 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 im... Read more

Scarred for Life but Unbowed by Child Sex Abuse

News | 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 later a... Read more

Ray-Rivers: Separate Register for Child Abusers

News | 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 and ex... Read more

Scars Team to Present Talk in Memphis

News | 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 nati... Read more

Trio Get on Board for Kayaking Challenge

News | September 26, 2018

Three paddleboarders will join kayakers on a two-day challenge to circle the island for charity this weekend. The 30-strong group will tackle the 40-mile marathon to raise funds and awareness for child sex abuse prevention organisation Saving Children and Revealing Secrets. Organisers said it was the biggest turnout in the three years the event has been held. Jerry Rivers, whose wife Debi found... Read more

BERNEWS TV MUSIC VIDEOS Fifty Five Football Coaches Get SCARS Certified

News | September 4, 2018

The Bermuda Football Association and the Bermuda Football Coaches Association are collaborating with the organization Saving Children and Revealing Secrets [SCARS] to help safe guard the youth of Bermuda. The implementation of the BFA coach licensing policy on August 31, 2018 required that all coaches have completed training to equip them with the tools to help reduce the risk of child sexual abu... Read more

‘A Huge Victory for Child Protection’

News | August 6, 2018

A parliamentary report on the management of sex offenders has been hailed as a huge victory by sexual abuse prevention charity Saving Children and Revealing Secrets. Debi Ray-Rivers, the founder and executive director of Scars, and Jon Brunson, the chairman, said the report by the Joint Select Committee also showed the impact of education and awareness surrounding child sex abuse. Mr Brunson sai... Read more

Charity Calls for Sex-Offender Programme

News | June 26, 2018

A women’s charity raised concerns yesterday after it was announced a dangerous sexual predator is to be housed at the Co-Educational facility. Part of the St George’s jail for women and younger offenders has been redesignated as a hospital to block the release of Merrick Seaman, who was locked up in Westgate prison for a serious sex assault on a five-year-old girl. Campaigners welcomed the p... Read more

Fire Service Recruits Gain Scars Certificates

News | May 11, 2018

The Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service’s newest recruits have been trained in child sex abuse prevention. Now the BFRS wants to extend the training run by charity Saving Children and Revealing Secrets to all its staff. Troy Furbert, divisional officer of the BFRS training division, said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Scars to deliver this important information. “We ar... Read more

Premier’s Wife Gets Scars Training