Bermuda's children after an incident at a St. George's primary school. These people and other concerned groups are correct in their concern and we believe with them that Bermuda's children must be protected from predators.

Government officials have been studying various laws pertaining to sex offenders. There have been formal talks surrounding notifying schools if a convicted sex offender, particularly a paedophile, is released from jail.

There are also concerns about screening applicants for positions within the Department of Education and concern to prohibit the entry into school property of those people who are convicted paedophiles.

The incident at St. George's makes it very clear to all of Bermuda that schools should be notified when a known sex offender is released back into the community. A mother has said that the public and particularly parents have a right to know the identity of sex offenders. That mother is correct. As she has said, "It could be a man we all know well, but are not aware of what he is doing.'' We think that is especially now that Bermuda has largely misguided laws preventing the identification of sex offenders in the press. That is a law which we believe encourages people to offend because they think they will not be exposed. Under this law you could have a convicted sex offender who is released from jail move in with you and you have no prior information.

Bermudians can only hope that it will not take an horrific incident or even the death of a child to get a Megan's Law enacted in Bermuda.

Megan's Law is named for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in New Jersey in 1994 by a twice-convicted sex offender who lived across the street from her home.

Now the law in most states of the United States requires authorities to tell communities -- communities and neighbourhoods not just schools -- the whereabouts of convicted sex offenders. That law was challenged in the United States Supreme Court by lawyers for sex offenders and the Supreme Court turned down the appeal and left intact the notification provisions of Megan's Law which was enacted in New Jersey in 1995 and which has since been adopted by 36 other states.

We think children have a right to be protected both inside and outside the schools. But there is more at stake here. We also believe that women have the right to be protected from sex offenders in their neighbourhoods. They have a right to know if a potentially dangerous person is in their area, especially a person who has been convicted of rape accompanied by violence.

There may be a temptation in Bermuda to assume that everyone knows what goes on in their neighbourhood. However the public memory is short and communities are no longer as close knit as they once were. Therefore it would be a mistake to assume anything.

The New Jersey Megan's Law law calls for notice to schools, day-care centres and youth groups about moderate-risk offenders. For high-risk offenders, the law requires police to go door-to-door notifying neighbourhood residents.

The law also requires sex offenders who have been paroled or released after completing their prison sentences to register with local authorities when moving to a community. That requirement, now the law in all 50 US states, was not challenged in the US Supreme Court.

People have a right to protect themselves and their children. They have a right to know if they are in danger. We think Bermuda needs Megan's Law.