What message are we sending to survivors of sexual abuse? And what is the Government doing to ensure this issue is a priority and being urgently addressed?

As was recently reported in the media, a man who admitted having sex with a 15-year-old girl was handed an 18-month suspended sentence after court delays resulted in the case taking four years.

For the survivor and her family, it is a devastating outcome. For Bermuda, it is a wake-up call: our system is failing to protect children and failing to hold offenders accountable. It sends a message that crimes against children can be minimised, that the trauma endured is negotiable, and that our system is willing to look away.

This ruling does not exist in isolation. It comes at a moment when members of the public are already expressing deep frustration about sexual offenders being seen and harassing people in our community without sufficient oversight.

The Non-Profit Alliance of Bermuda outlined in a recent report that one in three Bermudians have been the victim of child sexual abuse, and one in two women in Bermuda had experienced child sexual abuse.

Recently on social media, dozens of parents and women shared experiences of being harassed, intimidated and even approached by a known repeat sexual offender. Bus drivers described the fear of having him near their routes. Parents recounted children no longer feeling safe walking home. These are not abstract concerns - they are real experiences of fear and retraumatisation, and they point to a justice and corrections system that is failing to protect our children and community.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Survivors who bravely come forward often wait years for cases to move through the courts, only to face outcomes that minimise the crime and embolden offenders. The impact on victims and their families is profound: it compounds trauma, discourages reporting and reinforces the perception that child sexual abuse is not taken seriously in Bermuda.

But the problem is bigger than sentencing. As a country, we lack the infrastructure to deal with sexual offenders in a way that prioritises both justice and prevention. Bermuda does not have a dedicated correctional treatment centre for high-risk sexual offenders.

Without proper intervention and monitoring, incarceration alone becomes a revolving door. Releasing untreated offenders into our community without safeguards or accountability puts our children, vulnerable persons and women at risk.

We must do better — because protecting the community is our responsibility. I have put forward a plan that includes:

• Bail ineligibility for serious and repeat offenders

• Stronger sentencing guidelines that reflect the gravity of crimes against children

• Mandatory treatment and monitoring for offenders, so they cannot simply walk free

• A specialised correctional and rehabilitation framework, and forensic unit must be resourced so that offenders are not just punished, but are also prevented from reoffending

• Faster court processes so survivors are not retraumatised by years of waiting, and appropriate sentencing that makes the victim’s rights a priority

We must also strengthen prevention.

Organisations such as Saving Children and Revealing Secrets continue to train parents, teachers, coaches and community members to recognise signs of abuse and to act swiftly. But prevention cannot fall only on the shoulders of families and advocacy groups. It requires a justice system that delivers consistent protection, and a government that makes child-safeguarding a priority.

It is unacceptable that court delays are benefiting the perpetrators of serious crimes and not the victims. How do present practices increase motivation to adhere to the laws and for victims to report crimes against their person? It also has the knock-on effect of supporting the attitudes around vigilante justice — we can and must do better!

Bermuda cannot afford complacency. As a community, we must decide: will we continue to tolerate a system that fails our children and victims of sexual assault? Or will we summon the courage to put their protection at the centre of our justice system? Every child deserves to grow up safe, and every survivor deserves justice that acknowledges the harm done to them.

The safety of our children, vulnerable persons and women is not negotiable. We must act — not after the next headline, but now.

Bermuda’s future depends on it.

• Robert King is the Shadow Minister of National Security and the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, and the MP for Smith’s North (Constituency 10)