Photo Credit: Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP)
By: Trokon Wrepue – trokon1992seokin@gmail.com
MONROVIA – The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has launched a robust street-level operation targeting child street selling in Monrovia and surrounding communities, as part of its flagship Save The Future initiative.
The move follows months of intensive awareness campaigns and stakeholder engagement aimed at curbing the alarming resurgence of children involved in street vending.
On Friday, July 25, in collaboration with the Liberia National Police, teams of social workers and enforcement officers fanned out across several high-risk zones — including Bypass, Vamoma Junction, 20th Street, 12th Street, 9th Street, and Jallah Town — and intercepted over 50 children actively engaged in street selling.
The children were taken to the Women and Children Protection (WACP) Juvenile Unit, where they received temporary care, psychosocial assessment, and processing in a safe environment.
The Ministry required all parents and guardians of the children to sign formal Commitment Bonds pledging not to permit or coerce their children into street selling again. Violations of these bonds, the Ministry warns, will carry legal consequences under Liberia’s child protection laws.
“While our earlier interventions made meaningful progress, we’ve seen a troubling resurgence in child street selling,” said Mr. Alex Divine, Lead Coordinator of the Save The Future project. “This week marks the start of an intensive crackdown. Our goal is zero tolerance for child street selling across Montserrado County.”
The campaign, dubbed the “Zero Children’s Street Selling” operation, is a one-month special intervention targeting areas where child exploitation is most rampant.
Public reaction has been largely positive, with residents applauding the Ministry’s bold move. Eyewitnesses reported widespread support from onlookers, some of whom shared stories of children being forced to sell goods under harsh conditions.
“Several children told our social workers they were pressured or even threatened by parents to sell in the streets,” a Ministry spokesperson said. “This is not only exploitation — it endangers their lives and violates their rights.”
Some parents expressed remorse when confronted, pledging to find alternative ways to support their households. The Ministry acknowledged these expressions but emphasized that future violations would not be tolerated.
The Save The Future initiative, now in its pilot phase in Montserrado County, is part of the Ministry’s broader five-year transformative agenda. It was launched in response to a 2022 joint survey by UNICEF and MoGCSP, which revealed that more than 366,000 Liberian children were living or working in precarious street conditions.
Since the program’s official start in 2024, the Ministry has rescued, reunited, and enrolled more than 6,000 children from the streets in four zones across Montserrado.
The Ministry is calling on all parents, guardians, community leaders, civil society organizations, and local authorities to join the campaign against child street selling.
It reiterated its unwavering commitment to protecting Liberia’s children from abuse and exploitation and ensuring every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe and supportive environment.
“This is not just a government operation — it is a moral duty for every Liberian,” said a statement from the Ministry. “We must act collectively to restore dignity and security to the children of this nation.”
The Ministry has confirmed that outreach efforts will intensify in the coming days, with additional joint operations planned at known hotspots throughout the capital.
