An Opposition MP has repeated her call for the Child Abuse Register, seven years in the making, to be extended in order to include offenders convicted prior to 2005.

Shadow Minister of Women?s Affairs and Child and Family Services Suzanne Roberts-Holshouser said it is imperative for the safety of children that this list include abusers since 1998, rather than solely since November 2005 as is now the case.

?I am at a loss as to why this Government continues to drag its feet at the peril of our children,? Mrs. Roberts-Holshouser said. ?To be sexually abused is a life long sentence ? one filled with hate and guilt. These are not emotions a responsible Government should want to lay at the feet of our children.?

The Child Abuse Register promises to provide the ability to track and monitor individuals convicted of child abuse.

If this Government intends to protect children, she said it is important that existing legislation also be reviewed and revised to fit the century we live in.

The penalty for child abuse is less than that for disclosing a registered child abuser?s identity, Mrs. Roberts-Holshouser said. ?As legislated, any person who, having the care and control of, or parental responsibility for, any child, wilfully abuses, mistreats, neglects, deserts or abandons the child or causes or procures the child to be abused, ill-treated, neglected, deserted or abandoned is guilty of an offence ? a fine not exceeding $3,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months,? she said.

?The punishment for disclosing a name on the register of child abusers is subject to a fine of $5,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year.?

The Ministry of Health and Family Services created the Register in November 2005 in accordance with legislation passed in 1998.

But Mrs. Roberts-Holshouser said the penalties for abusing children must be increased and the register backdated in order to maximise its effectiveness.

She also called for all child caretakers to be screened. ?I would like Government to ensure that all persons working in any field that has the responsibility of our children are checked for past history.

?It is imperative that parents in Bermuda know their children are safe when they attend school, summer camps and the likes.

?No person should be employed in such a capacity until they have been cleared by Government,? she said.

?I know this sounds like a daunting task, but the consequences are dire and must be taken seriously.?