Schoolchildren are being subjected to appalling abuse, a union leader claimed yesterday, with some forced to perform sickening sexual acts on their fathers. Edward Ball, general secretary of the Bermuda Public Services Union, also said that some adults were making some children watch pornographic videos ? as well as instructing youngsters how to carry out sex acts on other kids.

The comments were made on the heels of a debate in the Senate in which senators agreed that the Department of Child and Family Services must monitor rising child abuse figures to be sure no alarming trends develop. Mr. Ball said concerned parents and teachers were sharing the shocking stories of students who were subjected to ?extraordinary ills?.

And he said that the mounting social challenges facing Bermuda?s children meant that teachers had to be ?nothing less than Herculean geniuses?.

Mr. Ball?s comments came as Senators discussed a rise in the number of children referred to Government in cases of abuse and neglect.

The union leader told The Royal Gazette: ?Some adults are forcing, threatening or requiring some children to perform sexual acts known or unbeknown to the mothers.

?As absurd as it may sound, some mothers are at times reluctant to believe that her significant other is the proven offender. Some mothers may even remain attached to the paedophiles/sex offenders rather than lose their significant other?s affection, income and security.?

He added: ?Or some children are encouraged to watch pornographic acts on visual aids such as computers videos and DVDs as well as instructing the child on how to emulate such acts with other kids.?

Mr. Ball said that at times it has been suggested that they re-enact what they have seen with their siblings. In a dire indictment of parenting on the Island, he said that several teachers were washing and ironing children?s uniforms and storing them at some schools ? so that the children have clean clothes for the entire school week.

Many are also bringing food to feed their students daily, as well as books, pens and bags, he added. Mr. Ball said that if any Bermudians were ?astonished? or ?saddened? by the stories then he hoped this was a starting point to address the problems.

?Teachers act as surrogate parents, initial counsellors and psychologists, mentors while attempting to keep order in a class that may have challenged children,? he continued. ?Despite the demands to be miracle workers, teachers are also required to maintain an open mind to constant change, adaptations while continually finding educational innovations to keep children who want to learn motivated.?

He said the ?urgent question? was how Bermuda got delinquent parents to be responsible for their child?s education. ?The public at large are responsible for raising the children,? he added.

Government Sen. Raymond Tannock said that the Department of Child and Family Services was monitoring the situation to ensure that no alarming trends developed.

Sen. Gina Spence Farmer agreed the situation had to be regularly reviewed. But she said the fact that 436 kids were referred to Government in cases of abuse and neglect ? a rise of 1.6 per cent on 2004/5 ? meant that a ?much more aggressive approach? was needed.

?The alarms are ringing loud and clear,? she added. ?Our pre-school and primary school children are being robbed of their innocence and are being scarred for life.?

She said that these children grew up and carried guilt and shame into adulthood. ?We need to look at how deep this goes,? she added, noting that problems often started at home with parents inflicting abuse.

The new abuse figures show that of the 436 referred to Family Services, 142 were aged four years and under. And Sen. Spence Farmer said this was ?shocking?. She also called on Government to introduce the Online Child Protection Bill, clamping down on access to pornographic material, that was mentioned in the Throne Speech.

And she said loopholes in the Child Protection Act needed closing to ensure harsher court sentences for abusers.

Sen. Tannock said the slight rise was down to mandatory reporting legislation, introduced in the 1998 Children Act, and increased public awareness on the back of media campaigns.

?Initiatives such as child abuse prevention month and foster care awareness and recruitment have enhanced community awareness of the plight of our children,? he added. ?As we are seeing an increase in the total number of referrals, the department is monitoring to ensure that no alarming trends develop.?

He added that the Ministry would continue to use posters, brochures and flyers to promote public awareness of child abuse.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kim Swan said the Government had every right to feel proud of the successful Happy Valley Child Care Centre. But he said its budget had risen from $589,000 to $934,000 in three years, and he asked why ? when the poverty gap had widened ? only two more children seemed to have benefited in that period.

He called for more centres like Happy Valley. Government is exploring the idea of opening more facilities because Happy Valley was oversubscribed