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Paul Yeenie Harry ~ (March 5 2006)
"...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!...” |
"Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore I say: Hearken to me; I also will show my opinion." Job 32:9,10
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 sustainably 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.
About the Author:
Paul Yeenie Harry is a Liberian living in Poland. He can be reached at pyharry@yahoo.com
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