By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter

kdl@nasguard.com

A leading religious figure is calling for laws dealing with the abuse of children to be given more "teeth" in a bid to deter individuals from preying on minors.

With 49 reported cases of child sexual abuse for the first six months of the year, Co-Chairman of The National Child Protection Council Pastor Gill Maycock warned that no one should be exempted from being charged before the courts.

"We are becoming more and more serious about making sure that persons are prosecuted," he said.

"The Council is going to be encouraging government to really pursue prosecution of persons...to the full extent of the law to make sure that we curtail abuse of our children throughout The Bahamas."

Already, the 49 cases are showing a 19.5 per cent increase over last year's figures for the same time period. Up to June 2005, there were 41 reported cases of child sexual abuse. Between April and May of this year there have been 21 reported cases, which

Pastor Maycock views as a "disturbing" trend.

"It is very disturbing because once that damage has been done, persons can be helped, but it is very difficult to treat that scarred emotion of a child who has been abused, especially by someone they trust," he said.

"If it's a parent or an uncle, or a trusted figure in society it makes it even worse."

In the case of young ladies who are molested in childhood, Pastor Maycock said, more than likely, not in all cases, but more than likely they might tend to shy away altogether because they don't know how to sexually adjust in a marriage, or some may become promiscuous.

"So you have dysfunctional young adults and adults because of the trauma they experienced from the sexual abuse. And, I am very concerned about it because the potential in our children is being stymied because of this abuse at such a young age in their lives.

"It bothers me tremendously. And as a religious leader even more so, because of how important we know children are to God and how God despises any abuse, any harm coming to a little one," he said.

The 2006 figures relating to the different forms of abuse of children from January to June show there were 67 reported cases of physical abuse, nine cases of incest, two cases of verbal abuse and four cases of child abandonment.

There have also been 32 reported incidences of temporary care and protection cases as a result of children needing placement in institutions because their parents were deported, temporarily suffering economic hardship, or incarcerated. Technically, these children were not abused, neglected or abandoned.

President of Bahamian Fathers for Children Everywhere, Clever Duncombe, described the statistics as "startling."

The government needs to create a Social National Development Plan to deal with "horrific acts" against children, he said.