heavier penalties and prison treatment programmes for sexual offenders.

A petition currently being circulated is demanding that Government, the Attorney General's chambers and the Judiciary take a stronger stance against rapists and molesters.

It calls for more vigorous prosecutions -- regardless of the gender of either the accused or the victim -- prison sentences for all convicted sexual criminals and a treatment system to rehabilitate them while incarcerated.

The signature drive comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court case which saw an admitted sexual offender receive three years probation for abusing a young boy over a six-year period.

Andrea Irene Tucker, a former nursery school worker, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a friend's young son while babysitting him.

A member of the Centre's Steering Committee, Mrs. Susan Boyd, said one reason for the petition was to shed light on the fact that the case was typical.

"Most people think of (sexual assault) as the guy in the school yard enticing children into the bushes, but most cases of child sexual assault involve adults who are acquainted with the child,'' she said.

"If this offender isn't going to prison, who is? What do you need? More than six years of admitted molestation of a child?'' Mrs. Boyd added that numerous cases didn't make it to the courts even after Police took them to the Attorney General's chambers.

And if a conviction was won, the penalties handed down were light in comparison with sentences received for other offences.

"They're sending a lot of people to jail for driving without a licence or being vagrants,'' Ms Boyd said. "But when it comes to issues of sexual assault or violence generally, they're frequently getting suspended sentences.

"It is outrageous to us that the cases don't get there, and when they do, the abuser just walks away like it's no big deal.'' Referring to the Tucker case, she said: "It was unusual that this case of child sexual abuse got to court. It was our understanding that the woman admitted her guilt and that's why it did get to court -- not because the Attorney General's chambers were particularly delighted to go forward with it.'' Mrs. Boyd said members of the Centre were outraged that Tucker was told to go get her child care job back.

"We don't know why (Puisne Judge the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward) ruled as he did, but we understand the defence presented a very good case and the Crown really didn't say much of anything,'' she said. "We feel that the judge was given a very unbalanced picture.'' Mrs. Boyd said the mandate for the Women's Resource Centre this year was to see that a treatment programme for sex offenders was made available in the prisons.

Petition volunteers will be soliciting signatures in public places around the Island.

The Centre hopes to present at least 5,000 signatures to the Premier, the Attorney General, the Chief Justice and the Minister of Social Services.