Attacks on women are likely to rise as a result of Bermuda’s struggling economy, according to a charity boss.Elaine Williams, executive director of the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC), told an Amnesty event on Saturday evening that the recession would put some females in a vulnerable position.“Domestic violence and sexual assault in Bermuda are likely to increase due to recent economic and social trends,” she said, adding that some women would flee economic poverty and enter relationships with “significant power imbalances”.Ms Williams told the audience at Amnesty’s 50th anniversary celebration at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation that the centre dealt with 1,200 cases a year of domestic violence, sexual assault and other “women’s related issues”.“The number is growing,” she added. “We partner with Amnesty International’s campaign to stop the violence against all women. We call for new laws to be enacted that will protect women’s human rights.”Ms Williams was among four speakers invited to talk about human rights at the Amnesty event.Selina Bean, from campaign group Two Words and a Comma, explained why the Human Rights Act ought to be amended to include sexual orientation.She said “subtle yet harmful” acts of discrimination were experienced frequently by gay people in Bermuda and should be outlawed.“The current government has voiced a clear and repeated commitment to human rights reform and it is time for them to enact this protection,” Ms Bean said.“It is important for people to understand that protecting people from sexual orientation discrimination and harassment is not an endorsement for or against homosexuality.”Lawyer Venous Memari, former chairman of the Human Rights Commission, discussed freedom of expression in her speech.She said the term encompassed the right to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and was guaranteed under Bermuda’s Constitution.Ms Memari spoke of the importance of newspapers, quoting Barack Obama’s support for a “tough, vibrant media”.She said: “You see, there can be no government by the people if they are ignorant of the issues to be resolved, the arguments for and against different solutions and the facts underlying those arguments.“The business of government is not an activity about which only those professionally engaged are entitled to receive information and express opinions.”She said it was encouraging that Bermuda passed a public access to information (PATI) law last year but pointed out it is not yet in force.“PATI will give the public the legally enforceable right to access information held by public authorities. It is now up to us to ensure that PATI is brought into force as soon as possible.”George Scott, from Bermuda Industrial Union, spoke about migrant workers’ rights. It wasn’t possible to obtain a copy of his speech.Amnesty’s 50th anniversary was celebrated all over the world on Saturday. The family-friendly event at Kaleidoscope featured live music, including performances from Troy Anthony, Joy Barnum, Bones Blues Band, The Conscious Band and the Paper Cutouts.Amnesty director Robyn Skinner said: “Amnesty International Bermuda wants to thank all of those supporters, speakers and musicians who came out to support us and our work on our 50th anniversary.”l Useful websites: www.amnestybermuda.org, www.twowordsandacomma.com