MONROVIA, Montserrado – Amid a report by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Welfare that 731 children were raped and sexually abused from January to March 2016, the Liberian Children Representative Forum says it is an unquestionable reality that Liberian children are at risk due to the unsafe environment.

The Liberian Children Representative Forum, formerly the Liberian Children Parliament, is an organization that represents children under 18 years of age.

The group stated that the number of rape and sexual abuse cases in Liberia has sharply increased, with mostly children being victimized.

These statistics, the group said, are alarming. It hopes that the information will provoke state actors and policymakers to further promote the interest of children in Liberia.

Speaking at a recent press briefing, Satta Sheriff, the speaker of the Forum, said her group is seriously concerned about the atrocities committed against Liberian children. “We call on our government and its partners to act now by ensuring speedy justice for all victims and survivors of rape,” she said.

Sheriff said her group is demanding justice for a 12-year-old girl died as a result of being raped at Moulton Corner in Brewerville, and a 3-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted with a stick in 2015.

She added that on November 26, 2015, a 16-year-old boy was sodomized by his teacher at the Lango Lippaye High School in Kakata.

“We can no longer keep quiet when cases of sexual gender-based violence, exploitation and abuse against children are increasing every day,” she added.

Sheriff said the crimes allegedly being perpetrated against Liberian children violate the rights of children as contained in the 1989 Convention of the Rights of Children, the 1990 African Chapter on the Rights of Women and Children, and the 2011 Children’s Law of Liberia.

“It is an unquestionable reality that Liberian children are at high risk due to unsafe environments,” she said.

According to her, Liberian children have limited support to promote their safety and wellbeing.

“Today, children are prostituting themselves to earn money for survival,” Sheriff said. “Liberian children have become breadwinners for most families as they risk their lives between cars to sell cold water, candy and other commodities. We encourage our government to engender a concrete framework that will take children from the streets.”

She said children in Liberia are exposed to drugs, alcohol, gambling, and pornography and are now accepted as customers at video clubs, entertainment centers, beaches, and gambling booths.

However, very little is being done to prevent children from experimenting with unhealthy activities, although laws prohibit them.

Sheriff said the impartial enforcement of laws is vital to protecting and safeguarding children from dangerous pathways. “Liberian Children’s Parliament is calling on all well-meaning Liberians to stand up and defend the rights of every child,” she continued.

The group also disapproved of using children as gold miners in Nimba, Grand Gedeh and Grand Cape Mount Counties. These “cruel practices,” Sheriff said, completely contravene international protocols and domestic statutes. “The state and parents are under legal obligations to ensure the general welfare of every child. Anything short of this is a gross violation of international and regional laws.”

She also added that the poor implementation of the 2011 Children’s Law of Liberia has created a dark cloud over the future of Liberian children. She said that up to date, Liberian children lack access to transportation to and from school.

Sheriff said her group, as a result of the lack of budgetary support, is constrained from effectively fighting abuses against children.

Additionally, it said children have been left out of key decision-making processes, especially decisions that directly impact them.

Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah