-In Observance of the Day of the African Child
Liberia joined African nations today in observing the 2025 International Day of the African Child under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights,” with advocates highlighting both the challenges and potential of Liberian youth.
Former Gender Minister Williametta E. Saydee-Tarr issued a stark assessment of the situation facing Liberia’s children, noting persistent barriers including widespread poverty that forces 38% of children into labor according to UNICEF statistics, dilapidated school infrastructure particularly in rural areas, and a critical shortage of qualified teachers nationwide.
Harmful traditional practices like early child marriage and female genital mutilation continue to deprive girls of education and childhood, while gender discrimination systematically limits opportunities for young women across the country.
Despite these systemic challenges, Saydee-Tarr pointed to remarkable examples of resilience, including girls walking hours daily to attend school, boys balancing work and studies to support their families, and youth-led innovation initiatives emerging in marginalized communities.
These stories demonstrate Liberian children’s capacity not just as beneficiaries but as active participants in national development, she emphasized. The former minister outlined five critical action points needed to transform children’s rights from rhetoric to reality: significantly increasing education funding to meet Liberia’s Abuja Declaration commitment of 20% of national expenditure, rigorously enforcing existing child protection laws like the 2011 Children’s Law, implementing comprehensive programs to keep girls in school through menstrual support and anti-FGM measures, providing trauma-informed care in schools to address pandemic and conflict-related psychological wounds, and institutionalizing youth participation in policy-making through platforms like the National Children’s Forum.
Current budget allocations tell a concerning story, with World Bank data showing Liberia dedicates just 12.7% of its budget to education – below both regional averages and the country’s own pre-war investment levels. This shortfall comes amid growing youth activism, including recent protests following the Kakata school fire tragedy that claimed seven young lives last March. With 63% of Liberia’s population under age 25, advocates stress that investing in children’s rights represents not just moral obligation but strategic necessity for national development.
