PACE President: “Most Of These Children Are Victims”

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NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS – The PACE foundation, founded back in 2003 to support teen mothers with basic necessities, has evolved into something far greater than just financial aid or educational assistance.

Today the organization finds itself on the frontlines of a growing social crisis, helping young girls who they say are not just struggling teen mothers but, victims of abuse.

President of PACE, Claudette Rolle, says many of the young women who walk through their doors are carrying deep emotional scars, after experiencing sexual abuse, sometimes in the very places they should have felt the safest.

“I would say a large percentage of the children who are in PACE, they’re actually victims. You know, the society has this perception that these are promiscuous girls. That is not the case. That’s a very small population. Most of these children are victims. And anytime you find vulnerability in a community, you have to support them.”

Rolle’s comments come as the country continues to grapple with disturbing reports of the exploitation of children.

Last year, former Social Services Minister, Myles Laroda, revealed there had been an uptick in cases of mothers prostituting their own daughters, a shocking reality that sent waves of concern across the nation.

or PACE, they say healing the trauma has become just as important as helping the girls survive financially.

“It’s to help to fix it. And so, yes, the trauma is there, and so we address the trauma from a psychological and social perspective, but the goal of PACE is to provide them with the resources that they need to be able to be functioning members of society.”

And with a woman, now, once again leading the Ministry of Social Services, Rolle says she’s hopeful the partnership between PACE and the government can grow even stronger.

“Anytime we can continue to partner with the Department of Social Services and have them assist us in situations that arise, then we’re more than happy. And so we’re grateful, not that a male would not understand, but sometimes it’s, you know, that maternal instinct kicks in”

And Rolle says even after the girls leave the program, their support does not end there. The organization continues to stand beside the young mothers.

“And the good thing about PACE is they can come back to us. They can come back to us until the age of 22, meaning coming back to us for support. Even if they’re working and they’re going through hard times, they may be in a job where they cannot provide financially for their children as much as they want to, we allow them to come back to us for support.”