Liberia is confronting a slow-moving crisis, one that rarely dominates headlines but continues to shape the country’s future.
By Big Sisters Organization (BSO), with National Champions (Mercy Zahn Gbhoe, Barbara N Parker, Rita Kollie, G.Melvin Gussin, Seimar Tokpah).
Adolescents, particularly in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), remain inadequately protected, poorly served, and insufficiently prioritized. With a significant proportion of the population between ages 10 and 19, this neglect carries serious national consequences.
Across the country, adolescents face early and unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, unsafe abortions, sexual violence, and school dropouts. These realities are often blamed on “bad behavior” or moral decline. In truth, they reflect systemic failures: silence around adolescent sexuality, weak implementation of policies, limited
funding, and poor accountability.
In many Liberian homes and schools, conversations about sexuality, menstruation, consent,
and bodily autonomy remain taboo. Adolescents are expected to make responsible decisions without access to accurate information or guidance. This silence fuels misinformation and exposes young people to preventable harm.
Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) remains one of the most effective tools to address
these challenges. Evidence shows that age-appropriate and culturally sensitive CSE delays sexual debut, reduces risky behavior, and promotes gender equality. Yet in Liberia, access to quality CSE is uneven and frequently undermined by resistance and lack of political commitment. As a result, many adolescents are left uninformed and vulnerable.
Menstrual health is another critical but neglected issue. Thousands of girls miss school every month because they lack sanitary products, clean water, and safe sanitation facilities. The continued taxation of menstrual products worsens period poverty, especially for low- income families. When a girl’s education is disrupted simply because she is menstruating, it signals a broader failure to protect her dignity and rights.
Health facilities should serve all Liberians, yet many adolescents avoid seeking care due to fear of stigma, breaches of confidentiality, and judgmental attitudes from providers. Youth-
friendly health services exist more on paper than in practice, particularly outside urban
centers. Without proper funding, training, and monitoring, policies alone will not change adolescents’ experiences.
Equally concerning is the exclusion of adolescents from decision-making. Young people are often treated as problems to be managed rather than partners in solutions. This approach
weakens interventions and reduces impact. Evidence from youth-led initiatives shows that
when adolescents are meaningfully involved, programs are more relevant, effective, and
sustainable.
As national champions, John Flomo, Grace Johnson, Fred Kollie, Blessing Myers, and Mariama Fofana, we have witnessed the power of youth advocacy in shifting attitudes and influencing policy discussions. Adolescents are not the problem. The problem is the failure to listen to them.
The responsibility now rests with national leadership. The Government of Liberia, lawmakers, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, donors, and development partners must move beyond declarations to action. This means increasing budgetary allocations for adolescent wellbeing, fully implementing comprehensive sexuality education, removing taxes on menstrual products, and enforcing accountability within the health and education systems.
Protecting adolescents, especially girls and marginalized young people, from violence, exploitation, and harmful practices must be treated as a governance issue, not an afterthought.
Liberia’s development goals cannot be achieved while adolescents remain underserved.
Investing in adolescents’ SRHR is not charity; it is a strategic investment in education, health,
economic growth, and national stability.
The question before us is simple: will Liberia continue to delay action, or will it choose to
protect the generation that holds its future?
