By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

AS reports emerge of mothers prostituting their daughters to make ends meet, the Bahamas Urban Youth Development Centre (BUYDC), an organisation dedicated to fighting child exploitation for over a decade, is demanding to know why its calls for government support have gone unanswered.

“While we welcome the public recognition of this crisis, we must emphasise that this is not a new phenomenon — it is a long-standing and systemic issue that organisations like BUYDC have been fighting for over a decade,” the organisation said in a press release.

Founded in 2010 by youth advocate Prodesta Moore, BUYDC reportedly offered trauma-informed care, mentorship, housing referrals, and life-skills training for vulnerable youth, especially girls pushed into transactional sex through poverty or coercion.

The group said despite its record, it has never received financial support from the government. “Our office has been closed since 2022 due to lack of funding, even though the demand for our services continues daily,” the statement said. The organisation reports frequent calls from young women “sleeping on beaches, in cars, or in unsafe situations, pleading for help.”

BUYDC previously secured funding from international sources such as the Templeton Religion Trust, receiving a $25,000 grant in 2021 to empower young female entrepreneurs and expand community programmes. It is a registered nonprofit and grant-eligible NGO. Still, Ms Moore and her team argue that the government’s failure to invest domestically has left critical gaps in protection and services.

“If the government is truly serious about addressing this crisis, they must put resources behind their words,” the BUYDC said, urging immediate collaboration with the Ministries of Social Services, National Security, Education, and Youth, along with the Office of the Prime Minister.

Minister of Social Services Myles LaRoda recently reported a surge in cases of commercial sexual exploitation of minors.

“This is a national emergency, and it cannot be solved through talk alone,” the nonprofit said. “BUYDC is ready. But we cannot do it alone.”