The recent survey conducted by Scars and KPMG confirms what those of us working in this space have known for far too long. Child sexual abuse is prevalent in Bermuda, its effects can last a lifetime, and prevention must remain a national priority.

For 15 years, my colleagues at Saving Children and Revealing Secrets and I have listened to thousands of lived experiences.

If anyone questions the reality behind the survey, ask the professionals on the front line. Ask the Department of Child and Family Services, the Bermuda Police Service, the Coalition for the Protection of Children, Family Centre, Centre Against Abuse, counsellors and psychologists how many survivors’ stories they have heard.

At Scars, our mission is to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse, and we do this through awareness initiatives and free prevention education.

We want every adult to be informed about how critical it is to protect children from sexual harm. We want parents to learn what they can do to protect their child because prevention begins at home. We want every youth-serving organisation, public and private, to make prevention education a requirement and renew their prevention education certificate every three years.

We consider our Scars training as important as CPR is for first responders because this is life-saving information. We want strong vetting procedures, meaningful codes of conduct, and policies that create safer environments for children and for adults entrusted with their care.

But prevention does not stop at the doors of homes, schools, churches, camps or clubs. It must also be reflected in our laws, our prison system, and the decisions made when a person is convicted of committing a sexual crime against a child and is eventually released.

When implementing laws and policies around child protection, every decision should be viewed through the lens of child safeguarding.

These are our specific concerns and questions:

• Is the treatment programme used by the prison psychologist at Westgate specifically targeted to those with a sexual interest and sexual preference for children?

• Are pre and post-progress reports used to determine risk? (For example, measuring the offenders’ changes of thoughts? (It cannot be based on words, tears or relationships)

• Is a thorough risk assessment conducted by an independent psychologist and expert in the field on the Parole Board?

• What distinguishes “low risk” from “high risk”?

• When an offender is classified as “low risk”, what does that mean for child protection? Does it justify removing lifelong licence conditions, and does it mean victims, their families and the wider community are somehow less entitled to advance notice of an offender’s release?

• What is the validated assessment tool used to allow certain privileges, like when they are moved to a less restricted facility, and released early?

• When an offender is released, who is responsible for monitoring that person? Who is responsible for keeping them accountable, supported and monitored after release? Parole officers? Family members?

Treatment matters. Risk assessment matters. Licence conditions matter. Accountability matters. This crime is serious. Recidivism is real.

In addition, child sexual abuse does not end when the offence ends. Its effects may appear in mental and physical health, relationships, education, employment, addiction, family stability and a survivor’s ability simply to feel safe. Untreated trauma can ripple through families and generations.

That is why everyone who plays a part in the justice system carries enormous responsibility. This includes those who write the laws, impose sentences, provide treatment, assess risk, determine release and establish supervision conditions.

We should all be willing to ask ourselves the same uncomfortable question: would I consider these protections adequate if the child at risk were my own child, grandchild, niece, nephew or godchild? Would I feel safe leaving this person alone with a child or teen whom I love? Would I allow them to babysit my child?

If the answer gives us pause, then we need to look again.

Scars’ mission is to reduce the risk of children being sexually abused, but we cannot achieve that mission alone. Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility. Confidence in our systems is critical.

We must not allow the decisions made within our justice systems to undermine the confidence of victims and their affected families in the very system we are asking them to trust. We must do everything in our individual power to make child protection a priority. Children and our society deserve nothing less.

• Debi Ray-Rivers is the founder and executive director of the child sexual abuse prevention organisation Saving Children and Revealing Secrets