By Amos Harris
Monrovia, Liberia – On June 16, 2025, the Day of the African Child was commemorated in Monrovia, with a strong call to action for Liberian girls to prioritize their education and recognize their inherent potential. The event, held at Wells Hairston High School on Mechlin Street, was organized by the Girls Alliance for Future Leadership and underscored the urgent need to invest in girls’ rights and education across Liberia.
Madam Varice Guthrie, Country Director of the Peace Corps in Liberia, served as the keynote speaker, representing Her Excellency Catherine Rodriguez, Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States Embassy in Monrovia. Addressing the students, Madam Guthrie encouraged them, stating, “Do your best and stay focused on your education. Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf laid the foundation for women in leadership. You, too, can rise to such heights if you take your lessons seriously.”
The event, themed “Prioritize the Girl Child,” highlighted the transformative power of education through the inspiring legacy of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state and a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize alongside Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman. Madam Guthrie cited their achievements as powerful examples of what can be accomplished when girls are empowered through education.
The Day of the African Child is observed annually on June 16 to honor the hundreds of schoolchildren killed in the 1976 Soweto uprising in South Africa while protesting apartheid-era education policies. Today, serves as a crucial rallying point for advancing children’s rights across the African continent.
This year’s commemoration in Monrovia specifically focused on the persistent challenges faced by Liberian girls, including limited access to quality education, pervasive gender-based violence, and harmful cultural practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Kadiatu Bah, Secretary General of the Girls Alliance, delivered a poignant appeal during the program, criticizing the government’s perceived failure to protect vulnerable girls. “Despite the passage of the Domestic Violence Act in 2019, the key provision outlawing FGM was removed,” she stated. “Today, girls as young as seven are being forcibly initiated.”
Ms. Bah, now 18, recalled leading a student march to the Capitol Building in 2018, where she and over 300 other children petitioned lawmakers for stronger protections. “We are still waiting for meaningful change,” she declared. Citing the U.S. State Department’s Human Rights Report, Bah asserted that Liberia remains a hostile environment for young girls, with many cases of abuse going unreported due to fear, stigma, and a weak justice system. She called on President Joseph Nyumah Boakai’s administration to amend the Domestic Violence Act to criminalize all forms of FGM and to expand compulsory free education to both public and private institutions through grade nine.
“Our country cannot move forward while leaving half of its population—our girls—behind,” Bah emphasized. “This administration has the power to turn things around.”
The event brought together a diverse group of attendees, including students, school officials, civil society actors, and members of the diplomatic community, all united in their commitment to advancing children’s rights in Liberia. Miss Patricia Davies, National Coordinator of the Girls Alliance, commended the participating students for their courage and resilience, reaffirming the organization’s dedication to ensuring every Liberian girl has the opportunity to learn, grow, and lead.
As Liberia joined the rest of the continent in commemorating the Day of the African Child, the message from Monrovia was unequivocal: the future of the nation hinges on the education and empowerment of its girls. Sources
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