A paediatrician said yesterday that Bermuda has made great strides when it comes to child protection, but the entire system needs to be looked at again.

Dr. Peter Perinchief is calling for a law to be put in place to ensure abused and neglected children do not slip through the cracks.

He told that Bermuda needs to have laws in place so that any suspected case of child abuse or neglect would immediately place the child under court protection or have the ability to admit the child to the hospital.

Dr. Perinchief said that the Children?s Act 1998 makes it mandatory for medical- or non-medical personnel to report child abuse to Child and Family Services (CFS), but should go a step further by immediately taking a child into custody if there is a suspicion or report of abuse or neglect.

?The law should be one that no one can circumvent it. My argument is that children do not belong to their parents.

?Parents have to get out of the mindset that the child is their property. The child?s safety is paramount ? everyone has to be hard-nosed about this, it does not matter about the parents feelings,? he said.

Dr. Perinchief suggested the presence of a paediatrician who would be ?involved immediately? and become a consultant on the case.

This person, he said, would not be taking over the job of CFS but just making sure that there are no loose ends.

Referring to circumstances surrounding the death of ten-month-old A?Maya Tamerry and the trial of her parents Amenemhet and Maatkarri Tamerry, Dr. Perinchief said: ?Essentially the child slipped through the cracks.?