Bermuda needs to ask itself tough questions about the condition of some women?s lives on the Island, a forum was told yesterday.

Dr. Eugenie Simmons, director of the centre for professional and career enhancement at Bermuda College, spoke out at an event to mark International Women?s Day organised by the Bermuda Public Services Union (BPSU) Women?s Committee.

She said that there was an acknowledged crisis with Bermuda?s young men but added: ?What we must not overlook in our efforts to reverse the circumstances of our young men in crisis is the global research on women and families in crisis.

?Young men in crisis have mothers. If in fact the international research is correct, perhaps we must start as a community to ask ourselves some pretty tough questions about the condition of some of our women in Bermuda.?

She said it was perhaps time to acknowledge the unthinkable: ?That the condition of some of our women in affluent Bermuda is not what it should be and perhaps this is contributing to the crisis.?

She said it was imperative that young women gained the right education and skills to get jobs which would ensure they did not live in poverty.

Her comments were echoed in a statement put out by the UBP yesterday to mark International Women?s Day.

Party chairwomen Gwyneth Rawlins said 90 percent of Bermudian single parent households were headed by women and that their median annual household income was 19 percent lower than households headed by men.

Thirty-seven percent of one-parent households are defined as poor or near poor and women earn a median income of less than $45,000 per year compared to men who earn almost $50,000.

?Despite these alarming statistics, many women continue to de denied equal pay for equal work,? said Ms Rawlins. ?Women are still not fully respected or represented at senior leadership levels. The current state of affairs is simply unacceptable.?

Dr. Simmons also talked about the sexual exploitation of girls and women on the Island and said it must not be tolerated.

She said it had recently been suggested that underage sexual activity among girls should not be a major concern and that other jurisdictions were more progressive than Bermuda.

?Do we as women want to inspire our daughters, sisters, nieces, god daughters and granddaughters with the message that it is okay for someone to sexually exploit them, even if they are not mature enough to understand the ramifications of this exploitation,? she said.

And referring to worldwide statistics on the sexual abuse of girls and women, including UN figures which reveal that ten million children, mostly female, are being sexually exploited around the globe, she asked: ?Are these global realities what we want for our young women in Bermuda??

Dr. Simmons? comments come just a week after lawyer Larry Scott controversially suggested that the age of consent for sex for girls should be lowered to ?under 14?.

She told yesterday?s meeting at the BPSU headquarters in Hamilton: ?We must empower our young women with a respect for and a control over their bodies.

?We must also speak out against sexual exploitation of girls and women and make it clear to our policy makers and our courts that abuses of laws to protect the rights of girls and women will not be tolerated.?