the Women's Resource Centre has presented a 2,000-signature petition to the Premier.

The WRC said that while "a step forward'' was taken with recently passed laws aimed at expanding sex crime definitions and toughening penalties for sex offenders, "two steps back'' were taken by a recent "shocking'' court judgment.

WRC head Mrs. Shanda Simmons said the group was "outraged'' that an admitted female sex offender was sentenced in Supreme Court to three years' probation for abusing a boy over a six-year period.

The petition demands that: "The Attorney General's Chambers should vigorously prosecute cases of sexual abuse, regardless of the gender of either the accused or the victim; that the courts should send those convicted of sex offences to prison, and that Government should fund and implement a sex offenders' treatment programme to rehabilitate those imprisoned for sex crimes.'' The Attorney General, Mr. Walter Maddocks, was invited to be on hand to accept the petition, but declined.

But Mrs. Simmons said the Hon. Sir John Swan had promised to discuss the WRC requests with the Ministry of Health and Social Services. He had said that some of the WRC's requests would be met with the opening of the new prison.

The WRC also sent a letter to the Attorney General inquiring why so few child abuse cases had been prosecuted.

The letter cited a statistic in The Royal Gazette which noted 200-plus cases of child abuse had been reported to Police in 1991.

WRC treasurer Mrs. Susan Boyd said only a few child abuse cases had come before the courts in recent years. She said the letter was basically to ask what guidelines the AG used in deciding whether or not to prosecute.

Mrs. Boyd had received a "positive'' response from Mr. Maddocks, which included the guidelines. She said she would be presenting it at the next WRC meeting.