Introduction
Liberia has changed, paradoxically,
both positively and negatively. Will situation ever be the same in Liberia?
Well, it depends on which situation one has in mind and which period one
considers. For now, I will make no effort to discuss this in this article.
Oh, yes, Liberia has changed, or,
better, is changing. The wars have come and gone, at least as far as
physical gun battles among those who brought or fought the different wars in
order to amass wealth or to get power are concerned. Fighters have either
voluntarily surrendered their guns to UNMIL or hidden them somewhere known
to the hiders. Not only that. General and presidential elections have come
and gone – we have a new government. Warlords have either become law-makers,
university lecturers, philanthropists, exiles or ordinary citizens –
whatever these terms mean in our time and situation. Don’t ask me, “How and
why?”
What I do know is that there is no poor
warlord in, or out of, Liberia. Not only that. There is no poor former rebel
spokesperson in, or out of, Liberia. Don’t ask me, “Why?”
What I also do know is that the
children of Liberia – whether those recruited, drugged and sent to the
war-front to kill and to be killed, or those who were lucky not to have
fallen prey to the recruiting schemes of the warlords and their campaigns of
destruction – are the ones who suffered the most, are still suffering and, I
must add, will continue to suffer, unless something concretely sustainable
is done about their plight. This is the focus of this article.
The children of
Liberia continue to suffer the brunt of the aftereffects of different
different horrible situations unleashed on them by individuals who see
violence as the only means to settle scores, amass wealth and to gain
political power. As a result of the fourteen-year civil war, the plight of
Liberian children has worsened.
When adults promote wars and violence,
it is usually the innocent children that suffer the most, even long after
those adults are dead or made law-makers. The sad thing is that those who
cause the suffering usually do nothing to ameliorate the condition of the
children. To paraphrase the words of Jesus as written in Matthew 18 verse 6,
it would be better to hang huge milestones around the necks of such people
and let them drown in the depths of the sea.
At this juncture, my beloved readers,
please allow me to present you four of the many problems the children of
Liberia are faced with, problems that individuals and institutions of good
will must begin looking at urgently and pragmatically.
Street
Children
The Liberian Civil War has produced
hundreds, if not thousands, of street children across the country. Most of
the children are on the streets mainly because of the economic hardship
their families are faced with. They get on the streets to find food and
anything else that will help them to survive. Some are on the streets
because their parents were killed during the civil war and have no
dependable individuals or guardians to cater for them or look after them
meaningfully. Still, others are on the streets because their homes were
burnt down during the war, causing them and their parents to be displaced in
an area, not their originally place. Others had to flee their original
places because of fighting between the different warring factions.
Most of these children are likely to
eat from dumpsites. While some of them sleep in marketplaces, others are
exposed to drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse, etc. Their health is unprotected;
their lives are unsafe, and their future is insecure. But there is another
problem that this situation poses. Society is also threatened by the
rippling effect of this situation, in that some of these children may be
inclined to being involved in criminal activities such as theft, robbery,
violence, etc.
Have you noticed this? The warlords and
the corrupt and greedy politians are laughing, and the children are
suffering! Just think about it! It hurts; it really hurts!
Teen-age
Prostitution
Teen-age prostitution is another social
problem facing the Liberian society. This, too, is a result of the economic
hardship hunting the country. Unemployment figure stands at 70%. Most young
girls whose unemployed parents don’t have money to send them to school, who
have no life-sustaining activities with which they can keep their lives
busy, who are tired of going without food for days and who don’t have decent
clothes to put on their bodies, turn to prostitution as the way out for
them. Just as violence begets violence, poverty begets poverty. Don’t ask
me, “How?”
This situation – prostitution and
multiple sexual relationships – is also contributing to the spread of the
AIDS
virus and other sexually transmitted diseases among the population. Most of
the girls who are involved in teen-age prostitution admit that it is not a
productive activity at all, but they do it for survival. Indeed, it is a sad
situation.
It is this need – economic survival –
that paedophiles and men who have no remorse, including some UN workers in
Liberia, Liberian government officials, businessmen and educators, take
advantage of and sexually exploit our young girls. When I reflect on what
has been happening to our daughters and sisters these few years, my eyes
cannot forbid tears to drop. It hurts! Again, to paraphrase the words of
Jesus as written in Matthew 18 verse 6, it would be better to hang huge
milestones around the necks of such men and let them drown in the depths of
the sea.
Have you noticed this? The warlords and
the corrupt and greedy politians are laughing, and the children are
suffering! Just think about it! It hurts; it really hurts!
Teen-age
Pregnancy
Not only is the Liberian society
plagued by the problems of street children and teen-age prostitution, but
also by teen-age pregnancy. It was revealed in a report released by the
United Nations in 2001, that Liberia is among the countries that have the
highest teen-age pregnancy rates in the world. This problem is also a result
of the generally unfavorable condition of the country, as well as ignorance
on the part of the girls who are involved.
In a country where illiteracy rate is
estimated to be 85%, most young girls are not conscious of the fact that
they should not have children if they are not prepared psychologically,
economically, etc.
This is why the circle of poverty
continues to hunt such people, and, by extension, the society in which they
live. Neither do these young girls have any background nor any future, as
they were born in poverty. And, as they choose to have children while they
are in such a condition, the children they have will suffer the same way.
What do we expect to see when an unskilled and unemployed teenager who comes
from a destitute family decides to have babies? Haven’t you heard that just
as violence begets violence, poverty begets poverty? Don’t ask me, “How and
why?”
Attached to this problem is the fact
that some of these girls, after having being impregnated and not having the
means to support themselves, resort to illegal abortion, which sometimes
cause their lives. We have no clear-cut statistical data as to how many of
our young girls have lost their lives through this process – girls that
could one day become Presidents, like Madame Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; girls
that could become Finance Ministers, like Ms. Antoinette Sayeh; girls that
could serve as Justice Ministers, like Mrs.
Frances Johnson-Morris, etc.
Have you noticed
this? The warlords and the corrupt and greedy politicians are laughing, and
the children are suffering! Just think about it! It hurts; it really hurts!
High Illiteracy Rate
In my opinion, this is the most serious
problem of them all. Though there is no accurate statistical data on this
issue, many believe that Liberia’s illiteracy rate is about 85%. What a
disgraceful situation! God, have mercy and help Liberia, Africa’s first
independent republic! Liberia is seriously ill. Is it true that illiteracy
is a disease? Does anyone know where Dr. Education lives?
The different wars were fought for
about fourteen years. The distructive warlords used the innocent children of
Liberia to fight their wars. Instead of building schools – vocational and
ordinary – to help educate the children and prepare them for a better
tomorrow, the warlords gave them guns and drugs of all kinds, while their
own children and the children of their close associates and their relatives
were going to school somewhere safe. Shame on them all!
For fourteen years, selfish individuals
did everything to destroyed the future of thousands of Liberia’s children.
They used the children. Instead of giving them toys to play with, books to
read, pens to write with and copybooks to write in, they gave them drugs to
make them mad, they gave them guns to kill and to be killed, and they
recruited them as unpaid mercenaries in other countries. They taught them
how to commit all sorts of hidious crimes. Shame on such men! Again, to
paraphrase the words of Jesus as written in Matthew 18 verse 6, it would be
better to hang huge milestones around the necks of such people and let them
drown in the depths of the sea.
Thousands of our children have never
entered a school building before. They cannot spell their own names. There
are not many schools in Liberia. A friend of mine told me recently that
there are more video clubs in Liberia than there are schools. Whether this
is a positive development depends on whom you are asking. Most video-club
owners will stand on Mt. Nimba and tell you that it is a fantastic
development; however, parents and teachers have a completely different view.
Don’t ask me, “Why?”
The lack of schools for our children,
especially children from the economically-impotent population is worse in
the countryside, where you may travel hundreds of kilometers without seen a
single school, though there are scores of residentially populated areas all
around.
In fact, instead of the children going
to school, they have assumed the responsibilities of their parents – in most
cases, they have become the breadwinners for the family, either selling day
and night in the streets, or doing manually difficult or horrible jobs, to
get money to help sustain the family. Visit the different market places in
the countryside, and you will understand what I am talking about. Just visit
the Redlight Market in Paynesville and you will realize the fact. Don’t stop
there! Try visiting the Duala market on Bushrod Island. Don’t forget to
check the Waterside Market. Just try walking around the Merry-Go-Round
Market near the Barclay Training Center. Have you noticed the plastic-bag
and cold-water sellers at the Joe Bar Market on the Oldroad, the Jokpent
Town Market in Sinkor, the Lapkasee Market near the Spring Payne Airfield in
Sinkor, or the Duport Road Market in Paynesville? The situation is
sorrowful, but the children have no choice!
In the countryside, the children either
go with their parents on the farm and stay with them until nightfall, or go
alone in the bushes to fish, hunt animals, or just engage in any other
activities that will help them and their families to survive. The children
and their parents are struggling to survive. Life is brutal towards them!
Have you noticed this? The warlords and
the corrupted and greedy politicians are laughing, and the children are
suffering! Just think about it! It hurts; it really hurts!
Having pointed out some of the problems
Liberia’s children are faced with, I will venture, at this point, to propose
five ideas, which I believe will help to change the situation for the
better.
What
Could Be Done
The problems faced by the Liberian
children are solvable, but it must be stressed that there isn’t a one-way
approach to solving these problems. We must explore various avenues that are
suitable for improving the children’s condition. Here are five alternatives
to consider:
- Both private and
public institutions, as well as individuals, could improve the children’s
condition by helping to give them their basic education. This could be
done through the construction and proper management of tuition-free or
very low-cost schools, the provision of scholarships or sponsorship for
these children, etc.
- Both private and
public institutions, as well as individuals, could establish vocational
institutions where these children could have the opportunity to learn life
skills; thereby, keeping them busy with something positive.
- Both private and
public institutions, as well as individuals, could establish children’s
recreational centers in different parts of the country, which could help
keep the children busy with something beneficial, whether educationally,
socially, psychologically or spiritually.
- A well-planned
and comprehensive program, which takes into account different activities
such as sports, music training, art training, drama practice, etc., could
be developed in order to get the children off the streets, while at the
same time teaching them something good.
- The government of
Liberia should make the education of the children of Liberia one of its
reconstruction priorities, by investing more in education. More
government-funded and managed primary and junior high schools should be
established for the poor and war-affected children, especially those in
the countryside.
Conclusion
Taking everything into consideration,
the children of Liberia are in a difficult situation, which must me changed.
The problems are numerous – street-children situation, teen-age
prostitution, teen-age pregnancy, illiteracy, etc., etc. And the proper
programs must be undertaken to solve the problems.
If it is true that children are the
future of any society, then the future of the Liberian society is oblique,
except something is done to reverse the appalling situation the children are
in. The problems the Liberian children are faced with are created by the
society, and the society must be in the position to devise ways that will
help to solve the problems and ameliorate the children’s condition.
I appeal to all individuals and
institutions of good will to come to the aid of the suffering children of
Liberia.
Please allow me to rest my pen for the
next article.
