‘Alarming’ survey highlights child sexual abuse in Bermuda
A charity dedicated to ending child sexual abuse said the results of a recent survey highlighted both the scale of the issue and its impact on the community.
Scars Bermuda said that 29 per cent of the survey’s more than 1,000 respondents reported experiencing sexual abuse before their 18th birthday.
Of those who suffered abuse, 79 per cent reported experiencing mental health challenges as a result of their experiences with 56 per cent reporting self esteem issues or shame and 40 per cent suffering trauma-related symptoms.
Debi Ray-Rivers, executive director and founder of Scars Bermuda, said the findings highlighted that sexual abuse is both prevalent and profoundly life-altering.
Ms Ray-Rivers said: “For many survivors, the effects of child sexual abuse do not end when childhood does. Every child deserves to grow up safe, and every survivor deserves to be heard and supported.
“These findings reinforce the importance of continuing to educate our community, strengthen prevention efforts and ensure that children and families have access to the support they need.
“Our commitment to prevention and awareness remains unwavering because children deserve nothing less.”
The survey, commissioned by Scars Bermuda and conducted by KPMG, recruited participants in June through the charity’s list of trainees, along with press releases in local media outlets and social media.
While the survey received 1,010 responses, the results were not claimed to perfectly represent the island’s population and were not weighted to match Bermuda’s demographics.
Of those surveyed, 29 per cent reported experiencing child sexual abuse. In 94 per cent of the cases, the perpetrators were known to the survivor and in 42 per cent of cases, the abuser was also under the age of 18.
The survey said that of the 289 responders who had survived child sexual abuse, 207 disclosed their experience but only 37 reported their abuse and 13 saw a conviction recorded against their abuser.
More than half of abuse survivors, 54 per cent, reported feeling confused about their experience, 31 per cent were told to keep their experience a secret and 24 per cent were made to feel at fault.
While 92 per cent of survivors said they desired support for their mental and physical health challenges stemming from child sexual abuse, 38 per cent said they received no support.
A Scars spokeswoman said the goal of the study was to develop a better understanding of child sexual abuse in Bermuda and help inform the development of prevention and awareness initiatives.
Allan Doughty, chairman of the Scars board of directors, and Kelly Hunt, executive director of the Coalition for the Protection of Children, said in a joint statement that the results of the survey were “alarming”.
They wrote: “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.”
They noted Scars works to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse through advocacy and education, while the CPC was teaching young people how to recognise and respond to “red flags” and avoid dangerous situations through its Safety Matters programme.
The statement continued: “Both the CPC 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 issuing a series of editorials calling for practical, attainable reforms to safeguard our children that can only be carried out by the Government.
They added: “Some of our recommendations will not cost much to implement. Other proposals 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 instead.”
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