MONROVIA, Montserrado – Ahead of the celebrations of the International Day of the Girl Child, the speaker of the National Children Representative Forum has named rape and sexual abuse as common abuses adolescent girls continue to suffer in Liberia.

Satta Sheriff said despite coordinated efforts to end rape and other abuses, adolescent girls remain the most vulnerable to rape and sexual abuses.

She called the situation alarming and said it needs the urgent attention of government and rights organizations.

A Ministry of Gender report revealed that 730 children were raped and sexually abused between January and March of this year.

“If nothing is done, I am afraid that the future of women in this country would be uncertain,” Sheriff said.

She said while observing the Day of the Girl Child, it is important to focus on challenges faced by young women who are developing into tomorrow’s leaders.

As a children’s rights advocacy group in the country, Sheriff said the lack of a budgetary allotment to the NCRF from the national budget remains a serious challenge to advocacy.

On Tuesday, October 11, Liberia will join countries around the world to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child.

The day was established in 2011 by the UN General Assembly and it is meant to recognize the rights of girls and highlight the unique challenges they face around the world.

A press release from the UN said in 2015 that in the first decade of their lives, girls are more likely to enroll in primary school, receive key vaccinations, and are less likely to suffer from health and nutrition problems than were previous generations.

However, it said there has been insufficient investment in addressing the challenges girls face when they enter the second decade of their lives. This includes obtaining quality secondary and higher education, avoiding child marriage, receiving information and services related to sexual maturity and reproductive health, and protecting themselves against unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease and gender-based violence.

“As the global community launches the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for implementation over the next 15 years, it is a good time to recognize the achievements made in supporting young girls, while at the same time aspiring to support the current and upcoming generation of adolescent girls, to truly fulfill their potential as key actors in achieving a sustainable and equitable world,” the release read.

Victoria Yeaney, a student of the Best Brains Academy, said education is the only major tool that can save a girl’s future from abuses and mistreatments.

She called on parents to promote the education of their children, especially girls.

For her part, Laurena Sando, a mother of two girls, said she believes that the protection of the rights of girls also depends on government and the society.

Sando wants the government to create a safer environment for girls and promote quality education and non-discrimination.

In 2011, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf enacted the Liberian Children Law, highlighting specific rights of children for protection.

However, Sheriff said the law has not yet been fully implemented. She said up to now, it has remained an unfamiliar instrument. “It is just recently that a simplified version of the law was printed and making every stakeholder have access to it would be our next target,” she said.

Besides the law, there are several initiatives aiming to promote the empowerment of girls. One of the most prominent is the U.S. government’s Let Girls Learn initiative. The program aims to work with a variety of organizations including USAID, Peace Corps, Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the Liberian government to address obstacles facing adolescent girls within the education sector.

As part of the Let Girls Learn initiative, 22 Liberian girls traveled to the United States on Friday to celebrate the International Day of the Girl with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.

According to the U.S. Embassy, the girls were selected due to their participation in educational programs supported by the Peace Corps. They had also earlier met with Obama during her visit to Liberia in June.

While in Washington, D.C. the girls will attend the premiere of the CNN documentary film “We Will Rise: Michelle Obama’s Mission to Educate Girls around the World.”

The Liberian girls, along with other girls from Morocco, are featured in the film highlighting the importance of education, obstacles girls face in receiving a quality education, and solutions to these problems which affect approximately 62 million girls around the world. The obstacles range from limited educational resources like schools and teachers to economic and cultural impediments.

In addition to investing money in girls’ education, Let Girls Learn also seeks to change how women and girls are viewed and valued around the world.

This year’s celebration of the Day of the Girl is being commemorated under the global theme, “Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: A Global Girl Data Movement,” while the national theme is ‘’Make it count: Advancing an Integrated Movement for Girls Empowerment.’

The government of Liberia through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with partners has organized a month-long activity to mark the celebration.

According to the ministry, with about 1,000 persons targeted to represent the 15 counties, the national celebrations are expected to take place in Monrovia with series of activities.

Featured photo by John Atherton