Monrovia – The Community Healthcare Initiative (CHI) through the Adolescence Girls Summit has called on the national government of Liberia to take proactive steps to educate citizens about the negative consequences of female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM) and to adopt and implement favorable laws to eradicate FGM, child marriage, all forms of gender-based violence, and reduce teenage pregnancy.
On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, a dialogue prioritizing adolescent girls’ rights and well-being within the gender justice initiative was held at Monrovia City Hall with various stakeholders. In that meeting, adolescent girls discussed their call to action from the 2024 Adolescent Girls Summit (AGS). They urged the government to commit to their requests.
This call to action represents the voices, needs, and aspirations of 121 adolescent girls, boys, and young people from 10 West African countries who attended the 2024 edition of the Adolescent Girls Summit held in Monrovia, Liberia, in March 2024. It captures the demands of adolescents and young people that relevant stakeholders take action to address the challenges they face.
Adolescents called on the government to train teachers in Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in schools, including training for teachers of children with disabilities. They emphasized that CSE should be a specific subject in schools, and teachers should receive adequate training on how to teach it. Additionally, they urged improvements in the quality of education in rural communities by building more schools closer to communities, providing uniforms and learning materials, training teachers, increasing teacher salaries, and ensuring free medical and menstrual hygiene products in all public and private schools.
Furthermore, the adolescents urged West African governments to invest in the health, well-being, and safe spaces for girls, such as girl clubs and other safe environments where girls can learn, share experiences, and support one another. They advocated for the establishment of policies and structures that allow adolescent/youth representatives to participate in governance, policy-making, and decision-making processes—especially those related to adolescent girls’ issues. They called for the harmonization of policies across different gender and child-related initiatives, including the provisions of the Child Rights Policy, to ensure the effective implementation and enforcement of laws that protect adolescent girls.
Adolescent girls also called on their parents, caregivers, communities, and religious leaders to listen to them: “We have a lot to say too, Let us work together to stop violence and human rights abuses.” They emphasized the need to halt the compromise of cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the name of “handling it within the family.” They insisted on creating a safe, conducive, and supportive environment for adolescents to thrive, urging the promotion of gender equity by stopping FGM (bush schools) and early marriage. Additionally, they highlighted the importance of including adolescent girls and persons with disabilities in community-based activities and decision-making processes to foster a sense of belonging in society.
They stated that community leadership should establish laws that ensure children, especially those with disabilities, feel safe and respected and provide support for all children to attend school and attain the highest level of education. The consent, opinions, decisions, and personal interests of children and adolescents must be considered and respected.
More engagement and awareness regarding harmful cultural practices are needed from community leaders to protect the rights of every child and adolescent. Speaking to journalists, Beatrice Crusoe from the Children’s Forum stated that there are many challenges adolescents face, and she called on the national government to commit to addressing these issues in their communities. She emphasized the need for continued support for awareness and advocacy against female genital cutting, child marriage, and forced marriage.
Crusoe suggested creating a special platform for adolescents to showcase their business ideas and providing technical and financial support for those with innovative ideas. She urged school administrations and educational institutions to stop excluding girls from governance or education due to pregnancy and menstruation, to end all forms of sexual harassment against girls in schools, and to provide sanitary pads, clean water, and toilets.
