By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter

kdl@nasguard.com

Reported cases of sexual abuse against children for last year have seen a startling increase of almost 90 per cent over 2005, according to the latest statistics released by the Department of Social Services, Children and Family Services Division.

Between January and December of 2006 there were 119 reported cases of sexual abuse against children, compared to the 64 cases reported in 2005, representing an 86 percent increase, the Department reported.

All reported cases of abuse including sexual, physical and verbal abuse, incest, abandonment, and neglect, grew by 6.4 percent. However, the number of reported cases of incest dropped from 43 in 2005 to 19 in 2006, a 56 percent decrease.

"(Child) sexual abuse is very horrendous, it's ugly and we will be more aggressive and more vigilant in making sure that the laws against this crime are strengthened," Chairman of the National Child Protection Council Pastor Gill Maycock told The Nassau Guardian yesterday.

"It is our goal to make sure that the public is made aware that sexual abuse of our children is no longer accepted and we will be doing our best to stamp it out in the Bahamian society."

Maycock said that while the Council has made numerous strides in raising awareness about child sex abuse, there was still much work to be done.

"More and more we are having persons report this crime, and I believe you are going to see even a greater escalation of those numbers.

"I believe when we put more teeth in the law, and actually begin to enforce the laws, I think the number would even rise higher. But, I don't think it is so much so that more persons are abusing our children sexually (and the other forms of child abuse), it is just that people are aware of it and there is a lot more that is being done about it."

But, the pastor warned that Bahamians must not let their guards down. He urged all to be more aggressive, more vigilant in watching out for all types of abuse, as there are still some who believe that it is still accepted in The Bahamas.

Minister of State for Social Development Loretta Butler could not be reached up to press time, nor could Bahamas Christian Council president Bishop John Humes, who was off the island.

The 2005 figures relating to the different forms of abuse of children, from January to December, show there were 163 reported cases of physical abuse, eight cases of verbal abuse, 10 cases of abandonment, 230 cases of neglect and 43 cases of incest.

In 2006, there were 164 reported cases of physical abuse, 15 cases of verbal abuse, eight cases of abandonment, 293 cases of neglect and 19 cases of incest.

Earlier this year, 33-year-old Andrew Bridgewater was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for last year's brutal rape of a six-year-old girl who was kidnapped from the home of her baby-sitter. Bridgewater was also ordered to receive 10-lashes of the cat-o'-nine tails, a whip made of nine knotted cords.

In January, a 29-year-old Haitian man was charged in a magistrate's court with having unlawful sexual intercourse with a six-year-old girl.

Director of the Crisis Center, Sandra Dean-Patterson said the large numbers of reported cases of sexual abuse of children is a "sad commentary" on our society.

"My feeling is it is probably more than that but we probably don't hear about it," said the well-known psychiatrist.

She explained that the majority of the victims of sexual abuse are victimized by persons known to them, and often by persons whom they trust.