The report of hidden cameras in a Middle School girls’ bathroom sent shock waves throughout Bermuda’s community of helping professionals who are now calling for a clean sweep islandwide.Executive director of the Centre Against Abuse, Laurie Shiell, who has a teenage daughter of her own, has called for a “trained eye” search to be carried out at all of the Island’s public schools.“My initial reaction to what happened at TN Tatem Middle School was one of utter shock,” said Ms Shiell. “While we know these things happen we just don’t think it happens here; we don’t localise it. We hear it on overseas news and just don’t make it personal.”While the Centre does not deal with child abuse directly, she said: “We deal with children in schools as a way of education and prevention and we are as appalled as I’m sure most of Bermuda is over this incident.”Ms Shiell noted that the Centre’s team talked to students just two months ago “about a variety of things including sending nude photographs by electronic means and the age of consent”.“We also talked to the students about different forms of sexual harassment, whether it be a joke, in the form of gossip or verbal harassment. For me this isn’t a form of sexual harassment, as far as I’m concerned I see it as child abuse,” said Ms Shiell.“While we don’t know if the individual who installed these cameras at TN Tatem is an adult or a child, male or female, we certainly know that this is inappropriate behaviour and it needs to be dealt with seriously and swiftly.“We’re concerned it could be happening at other schools because usually you find that these things are not isolated. This is something that every school needs to look at and perhaps do a clean sweep at all schools, primary, middle, senior and Bermuda College,” she said.And then there’s the trauma caused by an incident of this nature. “It could affect a student now and in the future in a very negative way.”Ms Shiell also called into question the issue of vetting staff. “When we are contracting to companies as a school what is the process to ensure that individuals who are coming into contact with our sons and daughters have been properly vetted and cleared?” she asked.“As the parent of a teenaged girl in senior school I need to know that I can trust that the school is vetting all individuals, teachers, and security properly.”On that note, head of the Coalition for the Protection of Children Sheelagh Cooper said: “The amount that has been spent in Bermuda schools for security alone in the past year is staggering and one has to wonder how effective this has been and whether there is the possibility of making the security and protection systems in place more strategic and effective.”On the hidden cameras at TN Tatem she said: “This must feel like a real violation to these little girls — all of whom will now be wondering whether they have been seen by some very sick person.“Undoubtedly they will need some help to process this and a great deal of assurance that this will not happen again.“While we are in no position to speculate on who might have been responsible for this, it perhaps does seem unlikely that a middle school student, without any assistance or guidance from an older individual, would be able to get hold of and install such sophisticated and expensive miniature cameras which most likely would have to have been purchased abroad or online.“That being the case, the spectre of an adult perpetrator is even more alarming. Certainly this suggests that all school bathrooms should be checked for these kinds of devices to be sure that this is not going on elsewhere,” she said.The concerns were echoed at The Family Centre, where Executive Director Martha Dismont said: “The discovery of hidden cameras in a children’s bathroom should be concerning to everyone.Ms Dismont noted: “It could be students who are very sophisticated IT Geeks, or worse, an adult with bad intentions. In any case, the fact that the cameras were placed in the bathrooms unseen is the most concerning.“It makes me wonder if there are other behaviours taking place unseen. Is there the proper level of security at the school to protect children from these sorts of occurrences?“Bermuda is experiencing an increase in wrongdoing, and it seems that individuals are being caught every day doing something that is morally wrong. Do we have good structures in place to teach good behaviour, enforce the discipline, track behaviour patterns and implement corrective measures?“I question whether we have in place what is required to actually teach good practices and simultaneously ‘watch the store,” she said.* Should the Education Ministry organise a sweep of all schools? What do you think? Email news@royalgazette.bm