By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

SOCIAL Services officials are sounding the alarm over the continued use of children to solicit money or sell goods in public spaces, warning that the practice places minors at risk and violates national child protection laws.

Charlemae Fernander, director of Social Services, said the practice is not only illegal but exposes children to predatory adults and long-term harm.

Speaking during a Child Protection Month event on Friday, she urged the public to treat such incidents as red flags for potential abuse or neglect.

“People are sending their little boys and little girls to strangers to ask for money. And these strangers are not always scrupulous people. They say, yeah, I’ll give it to you, but I’ll give it to you if you dot, dot, dot,” Ms Fernander said.

“You are setting your children up, you’re teaching them to behave in a way that is just not safe for them. It’s not appropriate.”

She warned that residents should treat every encounter with a child asking for money as a potential child protection concern.

“Anytime some little child approaches you for money, you should automatically — all the bells in your, the back of your head should be going off,” she said.

“That is not the right thing to do, to put their children up like this. It’s not their job to solicit money to support the family. It is not their job. You’re only putting them in harm’s way. You’re putting them in harm’s way.”

Ms Fernander acknowledged that some parents, often driven by financial hardship, are aware of the dangers but choose to ignore them.

“Their whole thing is, well, I need the money to take care of you, et cetera. And that is absolutely wrong. It is dangerous,” she said.

Acting Minister of Social Services Zane Lightbourne shared a personal experience that reinforced these concerns. He recalled encountering a school-aged girl selling handmade bracelets in downtown Nassau during school hours.

“I asked her, where are you, why aren’t you in school? You know, where are you coming from? And she was around the corner selling bracelets because she saw an opportunity, or her mother saw an opportunity to make money. She said her mother was around the corner also selling bracelets,” Mr Lightbourne said.

“But I had a talk with that parent because I made her understand that it’s not only against the law to have a child out of school at that age, but... in using her daughter to assist, she was actually contributing to making their life long-term, on a long-term basis, worse.”

Under Bahamian law, children must attend school between the ages of five and sixteen. Officials said removing a child from school or using them to generate household income amounts to educational neglect and significantly increases their risk of exploitation and abuse.

The government is urging residents to report any suspected abuse or neglect through its national child protection hotline, 711. The toll-free number can be accessed anywhere in The Bahamas and can also be shared via text or social media.

“This is a key tool for reaching vulnerable communities,” Mr Lightbourne said.

He reaffirmed the Davis administration’s commitment to building stronger systems for prevention and response.

“We are strengthening child protection systems, improving access to services and supporting initiatives that equip families with the tools they need to keep their children safe,” he said.

These remarks were part of the government’s broader appeal under this year’s Child Protection Month theme, “Powered by Hope, Strengthened by Prevention.”