Monrovia – Little is said to be done by parents and government to ensure children stayed off the streets during and after school hours, a situation that is posing risk to the livelihood Liberian kids like the case of two minors who recently lost their lives in an accident involving President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s Convoy Pilot vehicle.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah – [email protected]
This, the Liberian Children Representatives Forum believed has also increased the number of children selling and marauding the streets drastically from hundreds to thousands, since they are being used as breadwinners.
Many of these children are teenagers who continued to endanger their lives between cars to sell pity commodities in an effort to succumb to their caretakers or parents demands.
Satta F. Sheriff, Speaker of the Liberia Children Representatives Forum, formerly Liberia Children Parliament observed that the impartial enforcement of the Liberian Children’s Law, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child, the African Chapter on the Rights and Welfare of a Child and other international protocols are vital elements to protect and safeguard children but little is done in this like.
“Little is done to prevent children from experimenting with unhealthy activities even though our laws prohibit them,” said Sheriff, calling on Liberians to stand up and champion the rights of children across the country.
Satta believed it was the responsibility of parents to ensure the protection of their children as stated in Article 4. Section 1-1.4 of the Liberian Children’s Law.
She was speaking Tuesday at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in reaction to the death of two minors, Melvin Tucker, 12 years and Jackson Kordah, 9 years recently hit by Sirleaf’s Convoy Pilot Vehicle within the ELWA Community.
“Considering the nature of their death which was accidental and untimely, we believe in the nature of life, accident is a natural phenomenon that occurs unexpectedly and as such, parents and government must strive to protect children,” Liberia Children Representative Forum Speaker registered.
On December 2, 2016, the two Liberian Children were accidently killed by the Presidential pilot vehicle in the Gbarbo Community alone the Roberts International Airport Highway, a situation the Children’s Representative Forum said was shocking.
But the Liberia Children’s Representative Forum noted that the death occurred with no sense of risk attached crossing roads, especially a major transit point from the RIA to Monrovia.
“We believe if Melvin and Jackson could live to see the future, they could have rescue Liberia from the state of poverty and economy sabotage, but they were innocently and carelessly killed.
“We openly and lugubriously regret the accident and have come to call for the safe entombments of the late little Jackson and Melvin to avoid repetition of Alvin Moses and Reuben Paye case as burial had been delayed for more than a year by national government,” Satta intoned.
In the meantime, the Liberia Children’s Representative Forum has drawn its attention to alleged rape case involving a 16 years old minor who was said to have been allegedly rape by Varney Jersay in November, 2016.
“We condemn the act of rape and have come to openly stand with the law and the victim of whom is a minor and a member of the Liberian Children’s Parliament by age,” said its spokesperson, Siatta noted .
Satta, meanwhile, called for speedy trial of the case and consideration of Section 2:14.70B of the new rape law of Liberia in said proceeding.