Children's campaigner Sheelagh Cooper has voiced outrage over the number of children suffering from sexually transmitted diseases.

And she believes it is a symptom of the Island's high rates of child abuse.

Recently Government announced that 30 percent of the 531 cases of Chlamydia recorded in 2007 were from young people aged ten to 19.

It's a statistic which might seem unbelievable to some but for Mrs. Cooper, head of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, it is all too credible.

She said any sexually transmitted disease (STD) that occurred in an under 16-year-old ought to ring alarm bells in the doctor's office and she wondered if they were not reporting them as cases of sex abuse.

"It is a prima facie case of abuse of a minor the fact it doesn't ring alarm bells is problematic.

"The doctor is mandated by child protection legislation to make a report governing sexual abuse of children."

Mrs. Cooper said there would be extenuating circumstances if the boy was a similar age to the girl. Why parents or caregivers, who may have accompanied the child to the doctor, were also not reporting the STD to police is another cause for worry, said Mrs. Cooper.

She believes there is an enormous under-reporting of sexual abuse of children in Bermuda, although the problem used to be even worse.

"I believe about ten percent of the case are actually reported, that would be consistent with the experience in other countries.

"If only ten percent are reported, probably only five percent end up in court and maybe only two percent actually get convicted."

But she cautioned the age gap between ten and 19 from the Government STD stats needed breaking down further.

"It is only meaningful when you can see the numbers between 16 and 19 versus the rest. But I am sure it is shocking for most people."

Government has refused to explain the figures further despite repeated requests from The Royal Gazette.

However it has pledged to launch a campaign to reduce what it labelled an unacceptably high number of sexually transmitted diseases.

Between 2003 and 2007, Chlamydia infection increased by 86 percent. Chlamydia is easily cured with antibiotics, but left untreated can cause serious reproductive and other health problems.

In 2008, more than 549 STDs were recorded, but Government believes the real rate could be much higher because of underreporting

The overall upward trend in STDs has continued for a decade with rises from 461 in 1999 to 642 in 2005.

The Department of Health's National Health Promotion Strategy 'Well Bermuda' has now identified four objectives to decrease the proportion of adults with multiple sexual partners; to increase condom use among sexually active adults with multiple partners; to increase the proportion of adults who have been tested for HIV and to increase the proportion of adolescents who know that STDs can be contracted from a single sexual encounter.

Mrs. Cooper also urged Government to look again at the law which prohibits the naming of those accused of sex crimes until they are convicted.

Even when suspects are convicted their names are often withheld from publication, by law, to prevent the identification of the victims.

But Mrs. Cooper said: "I have never, in all my years of doing this work, talked to a parent of a victim who did not want the name of that perpetrator or accused to be in the public domain.

"What we have is a bunch of paedophiles out in the community and no-one knows who they are.

"How can you protect a child against someone, who could be your next door neighbour, unless you have their identity?

"There has historically been a great tolerance of child abuse because it was so deeply ingrained, it was multi-generational. But I honestly think the situation has improved. I think the awareness is greater now, people are more willing to come forward.

"I think that's why we have seen a statistical increase in recording, although there is no way to really tell."

Sometimes abuse is multi-generational, said Mrs. Cooper. "In the clientele I deal with I will be talking to a family and the mother will have been sexually abused, the grandmother will have been sexually abused and the daughter will be the first to have spoken about it.

"Now the grandchild is prosecuting. I see that over and over again, that tells me there's a greater awareness and willingness to come forward."