In June 2026, Scars engaged KPMG in Bermuda’s Healthcare Advisory team to conduct a survey seeking data on the prevalence of child sexual abuse in Bermuda. KPMG has since reported its conclusions to Scars — and the results are alarming.

In conducting the investigation, KPMG said that 1,010 adults answered the survey. The survey data is startling. Twenty-nine per cent of the survey respondents said they were victims of sexual abuse when they were children.

Of the 289 respondents who said they had been sexually abused as children, it was determined that the average age of first experiencing sexual abuse was at 8.6 years of age.

• Four of those individuals were younger than 3 when the abuse happened

• Ninety-four per cent of the victims who answered the survey said they knew their abuser

• Fifty-four per cent of survivors had experienced abuse perpetrated by a family member

• Thirty-four per cent of those who were sexually exploited in their childhood reported that the culprit was a family friend

• Thirty-one per cent of survivors experienced sexual abuse that lasted longer than one year

• Fifty-three per cent of those sexually preyed upon as children were abused by more than one person

Of the 289 survivors who said they had been sexually abused as children, 207 disclosed to another person that the abuse had taken place. Those revelations, however, resulted in only 37 cases being reported to the authorities with only 13 perpetrators being convicted.

Twenty-six per cent of the survivors, said that they had never told anyone about the abuse they endured before the survey. That means that 54 of the individuals who answered the survey have carried their pain alone since they were children.

The mission of Scars is to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse through advocacy and practical education sessions that are offered to both adults and teens who are between the ages of 15 and 17, and who are accompanied by an adult.

Through its training programme, Scars teaches adults to recognise the warning signs for the risk of child sexual abuse and how to responsibly report their suspicions and disclosures to the appropriate authorities. The training also provides practical advice on how to reduce the risks that a perpetrator can abuse a child.

The Coalition for the Protection of Children is dedicated to ensuring that children grow up in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment. Its mission is to heighten public awareness of children's issues, advocate on behalf of families and provide services which address critical but unmet needs of children.

The goal of its Safety Matters programme, which has already trained more than 3,500 young people, is to teach children how to recognise and respond appropriately to “red flags” and avoid dangerous situations that can involve sexual predators.”

Both the Coalition for the Protection of Children and Scars, nonetheless, realise that greater and more decisive action is required by everyone within Bermudian society to further mitigate the risk of child sexual abuse.

It has been said that “if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem”. For that reason, Scars, in partnership with the CPC, will be publishing a series of editorials calling for practical, attainable reforms to safeguard our children that can only be carried out by the Government.

Although we are aware that the Government faces budgetary constraints, the excuse that “there is simply no money”, does nothing to protect our children, who cannot vote and have no say in how public funds are prioritised.

For these reasons, the CPC and Scars will be issuing a series of joint proposals, in the form of editorials, over the following weeks that will call for practical, attainable and effective action on the part of Government, to further protect our children. Some of our recommendations will not cost much to implement. Others will require government spending. In light of the results of the survey, however, the time has come for our society to stop making excuses to and take decisive action.

In the meantime, we ask that you, as readers, follow what we have to say. If you agree with us, you may wish to contact your Member of Parliament and demand that they legislate the change that is required to protect all of the children on this Island. It is only by acting in concert that we as the people of Bermuda will succeed in the mission of protecting our children.

• Allan Doughty is the chairman of the Scars board of directors and is a barrister who practises law with Kennedys. Kelly Hunt is the executive director of the Coalition for the Protection of Children. References to KPMG in Bermuda relate solely to the survey work performed. KPMG is not involved in, and does not endorse or support, the advocacy suggestions, legislative proposals or policy recommendations discussed in this article