In the motion to adjourn on Friday night, UBP MPs demanded better protection for women.said she was pleased to hear that the Women?s Resource Centre was planning a march on Wednesday from Albuoy?s Point.

?The theme of the march is ?Take Back the Night?,? Mrs. Jackson said.

?Women in Bermuda are scared. They don?t feel as though they are protected on many levels.?

She said assaults took place at an alarming rate, yet the punishment for the crimes have left question marks in people?s minds.

?To some women are still treated as second-class citizens,? she said. ?We must ensure adequate punishments that fit the crime.?

She said the Women?s Resource Centre had an annual budget of $60,000 which was not enough.

And she was shocked to go to a doctor?s office and see a demand for an immediate fee.

?What?? shouted.

?That sounds like pay to play.?

Undeterred, Mrs. Jackson continued to say that many seniors could not afford this and asked that insurance payments to doctors be made more quickly.

And she was upset there was no geriatric doctor on the Island to care for the large number of Alzheimer?s patients.said everyone should remember the name Sally Sarah Bassett, a black slave who was burned to death on a site close to where Johnny Barnes greets residents and visitors each morning.

She said Ms Bassett should be remembered for dying for the rights of women to be free from fear.

Police who are called out to domestic disputes are frustrated because they often have no power to arrest should the woman not wish to press charges, she said.

?Many times before the Police leave the house the couple are back together again,? she said.

?Women have been bitten in the face, they are black and blue and blood is coming from their mouth.?

She said intimidation can be just as powerful as a punch in the face.

After a domestic dispute the woman is referred to the Women?s Resource Centre.

In court, a Magistrate can sign a temporary domestic protection order and summon the defendant to court.

?Women have had to flee Bermuda because of no protection,? she said.

Mrs. Roberts-Holshouser said now that Community Beat Officers are going to be made permanent, when a woman wishes to travel to an area where her abuser lives, she should be able to call the Beat Officer, who could patrol the area for her.

Although mini alarms are available, she called for mace to be allowed for women to protect themselves. ?I would rather be sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray than raped,? she said.