the chairperson of the Women's Resource Centre said yesterday.

Mrs. Susan Boyd said the demand for counselling and support services at the centre had risen dramatically since 1990, culminating in a total of 152 reported cases of abuse in 1993.

"Part of (the reason for) this is a reflection of how good we keep our records,'' she told Hamilton Lions at the Princess Hotel. "But part of it is (because of) an increase in the demand for our services.'' As a result of the increase, the centre has had to expand its services from the hotline it initially offered in 1987, when it was known as the Rape Crisis Centre.

Mrs. Boyd said additional services included such features as "aftermath'' counselling, a community education programme and a system whereby trained volunteers accompany assault victims who wish to prosecute their assailants in court.

The importance of the last service, Mrs. Boyd said, should not be underestimated. The centre's most recent statistics showed 84 percent of Resource Centre users who had been assaulted by a relative had not reported the assault to Police.

A further 78 percent who had been assaulted by acquaintances and 40 percent who had been abused by strangers also had not reported the crimes to authorities.

"Many women do not report assaults because they feel they have a lack of options,'' Mrs. Boyd said.

According to centre statistics, 88 percent of the women who have contacted the centre have children, making it harder for them to leave a violent or emotionally abusive relationship. Other reasons identified for failure to report assaults are a lack of knowledge of the services available and a general lack of confidence in the criminal justice system.

To illustrate the last point, Mrs. Boyd cited two assault cases she had recently seen reported in The Royal Gazette .

The first involved a woman who, out of fear or intimidation, dropped charges against her alleged assailant immediately after the man stood up in court and pleaded guilty. The presiding judge responded by asking the defendant if he had "understood the question'' just put to him and then accepted his change of plea.

"To me,'' Mrs. Boyd said, "the batterer wins (in such cases) because he's assured she (the victim) is not going to go through that again.'' The second instance Mrs. Boyd cited involved a man who reportedly battered his wife on a public street and in so doing broke her nose. The judge who later presided in the case was quoted as wanting to "know all the facts'' before passing sentence.

"What facts could possibly justify breaking your wife's nose?'' Mrs. Boyd asked. "We need to really raise the sensitivity of the people who are dealing with these women.'' Mrs. Boyd stressed the need for greater co-operation among the various sectors of Bermudian society, including Government, the courts, organisations like her own and the general public.

"Since women are seeking help more, we have to start providing more help as a community. At the moment, I don't think we're doing a spectacular job.''