Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting, the Hon. Myles Laroda recently shared government’s plans for the protection of children. Statistics show that reported cases of child abuse on the island of Grand Bahama rose from 32 in 2021 to 122 the next year. There were 45 reported cases of in the first eight months of 2023.
Laroda said, “this is not going to be a quick fix by the government but it requires all stakeholders in the country who want to see a Bahamas where our children can thrive.”
The Minister also stated his support for adoption and foster homes and hopes that Bahamians would do the same. He said, “foster homes seems to be much faster however it don’t have the permanent effect of guardianship which tend to take a lot more time. A lot of these kids, you know they’re beautiful children if you see the smiles and how they interact. They just want a home to thrive in. I know of at least two instances where children have been removed from government care into private care. I’ve seen the kids since and I could tell you the environment that has been provided for them, if you don’t know the facts you would really think that these kids were apart of these homes biologically.”
