Social Workers Call for the Establishment of an Autonomous Social Welfare Bureau to Address Social Issues in Liberia
MONROVIA – The National Association of Social Workers of Liberia (NASOWL) is urging the national legislature and government of Liberia to create an autonomous Bureau to address the social issues that are affecting the country. NASOWL believes that an independent bureau would be better equipped to deal with the social problems that Liberia is facing.
By Edwin G. Genoway, Jr.
The president of NASOWL, Joseph W. Geebro, made the call during a program marking the celebration of World National Social Workers Day in Monrovia. Geebro argued that Liberia can only effectively deal with social issues if the government establishes an autonomous bureau that can strategically address all the social issues the country is facing.
Geebro believes that there are more social issues affecting Liberia than health issues, and as such, the government needs to act swiftly to address them. He pointed out that the social welfare component under the Ministry of Health was not fully funded and meeting its objectives, which led to its placement under the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection. However, not much has been done to solve Liberia’s social problems since the transfer.
Geebro cited the increasing rise of disadvantaged youths and overcrowding in prisons around the country as some of the social challenges facing Liberia. He is of the conviction that an autonomous bureau would be better equipped to address these and other social issues confronting Liberia.
In light of this, NASOWL is calling for the social program to be removed from the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection and established as an autonomous Bureau that will exclusively deal with social issues in Liberia.