powers that be that women feel threatened in Bermuda.

There have been some attempts to play down the number and severity of assaults on women in recent months; such efforts are dangerous and counter-productive.

In this case, perception is reality. If women feel unsafe, then the community should make every effort to reverse the perception, not by telling them that they are wrong to feel that way but by preventing crimes against women from occurring and by detecting and prosecuting them when they do.

This has to include the prosecution of so-called domestic incidents. Domestic violence is no better and no worse than any other form of violence and should be treated as such.

There are some who will question why there should be a particular emphasis on crimes against women. Shouldn't the community be fighting all violent crimes? Of course. But women, both in their homes and in public areas, are more vulnerable than men. Further, women are disproportionately victims of sexual crimes, which do both physical and psychological damage and they should be protected from such appalling acts.

One of the organisers of the march, Geneva Humdy-Woodley, says in today's newspaper: "I personally know three women that have been targeted, two of them tourists and the other a senior citizen, and I think it is getting quite scary, especially when they start targeting people that are just visiting the Island.

"I feel the whole community has to stand up and be counted and voice their concern over what is happening.'' GETTING READY EDT Getting ready Today's newspaper also contains a report on the United Nations disaster preparedness exercise which took place last week.

The exercise planners posed the question: What would happen if a really huge hurricane struck the Island and how prepared would the authorities be to deal with it? The answers which seemed to emerge is that the Island would be virtually paralysed and that the authorities are better prepared to deal with it now than they were before the exercise.

To some extent, preparing for a storm of the magnitude predicted by the planners is difficult. Where do you start? How much money are you prepared to spend to meet a problem which may never happen? As the exercise is analysed and determined, shortcomings in Bermuda's preparedness will almost certainly become apparent. It is to be hoped that those shortcomings will be addressed as far as is practicable and as quickly as possible.

not only for a massive hurricane but for relatively weaker ones.

Women to march on City attacks, but there have probably been many more that haven't been reported. We have to march for all the victims.'' Fellow organiser Kita Hill said Police and the authorities may well be dealing with the assaults, but said little information had been given to members of the public.

She added: "If action is being taken, we are not being told about it.

"Police are not telling us what they are doing. That may be a ploy on their part, but they need to do something to make society feel comfortable.

"So we want to raise awareness of our concerns to everyone on the Island, including the Police.'' The Women's Resource Centre (WRC), The Physical Abuse Centre and many other organisations are supporting the march.

But WRC has also organised a public forum to discuss the issue of assault, particularly on women.

One of the centre's directors Sharon Apopa said a panel made of Police officers, nurses and prosecutors will be at the forum to answer questions and offer advice.

Mrs. Apopa said: "A lot of women have been calling us to talk about the increase in assaults, so we felt we needed to offer them something.

"We have organised a forum with a panel of professionals who can address some of their concerns and answer questions. "There has been an increase in the number of assaults on the streets, but women must not forget that there has also been an increase in the number of date and acquaintance assaults. They should be cautious about who they take home and whom they trust.

"This forum will address all of these issues.'' Concern for the safety of women grew last year after a spate of violent and sexual attacks on women.

Between the very end of August and Christmas there were 12 incidents brought to the attention of the media. A number of them is still outstanding.

And only last week, The Royal Gazette reported claims that a female tourist from the UK was abducted and sexually assaulted by a taxi driver who was driving her to the airport for her return flight home.

She said she provided Police with a name and photograph of the attacker, but as of yesterday, he had still not been apprehended.

The march will begin on Pitts Bay Road, outside the Bacardi building, at 12.30 p.m. next Wednesday. There will be speakers making presentations before people begin the march along Front Street, ending outside the Police Station and Cabinet building on Parliament Street.

The public forum will be held a week later, on Wednesday, April 25, at 7 p.m.

at Heritage Hall (the hall of the New Testament Church of God), on the corner of Union and Dundonald Streets. Both men and women are welcome to attend.

Police were not available for comment yesterday.

And calls made to Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety, Paula Cox, were not returned.