The Inquirer
Monrovia, Liberia

Distributed by

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

Posted June 2, 2004

It has been gathered that the breakdown of family union caused as a result of the civil war, has left many children to support themselves directly and encourages them into anti-social activities such as prostitution.

According to a latest survey report conducted by the Center for the Promotion of Democracy in Liberia (CPD), 73% of children interviewed said the parents are either separated, divorced or/are widow or single parents.

The survey which was conducted in the three geographical areas of Monrovia, Montserrado County, Harbel, Margibi County and Buchanan, Grand Bassa County between May-June 2004, said 75% of the children who were quizzed, said their parents or guardians are not living together while 25% said yes their parents or guardians are living together.

The CPD survey said the children’s response clearly shows that whether married or not, most of the parents or guardians were not living together as couples, a situation which according to the survey, has left the children without proper parental care or guardianship.

According to the CPD survey, the situation of parents and guardians not living together, has serious social policy implications in any efforts to address the problem.

The survey added that relative to whom they lived with, 70% of these children said they were either living with a friend, boyfriends, or by themselves while 30% said they are living with their guardians or parents.

The CPD survey said the above statistic demonstrate the ill effect of a broken home or single parenthood, which has pushed these children into the kind of life they are living.

According to the survey, it also shows that family life promotion in the country is declining, thus leading children into wayward life.

The CPD survey further revealed that 79% of these children are not in school and as a result, they have become idled and were fending for themselves in their own weak ways.

On the issue of their source of income, the responded that 61% were delivering income from prostitution while 27% came from commercial sex.

The survey revealed that some of the children about 6% were getting income from friends, 5% from relative and 1% from parents.

On the other hand, the survey 53% said the income is not enough to adequately support them.

On the issue as to whether they wanted to continue in such a life, 96% said no which means they preferred to engage in meaningful activities other than sex work.