Voices for Justice:

As Liberia advances transitional justice efforts towards the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court, young people are being educated on their history and empowered to make a difference in the pursuit of justice, accountability and peace.

Monrovia, Liberia – For 18-year-old Fatumata, the idea of justice once felt distant. Growing up in a multigenerational household, she learned early that silence was often expected, even when harm was done. Like many women and young girls in Liberia, she experienced violence at home, and as too often happens, the person responsible faced no consequences.

Though Liberia’s brutal civil wars (1989–1997 and 1999–2003) have long ended, the trauma many endured remains. Over 50,000 people were killed. Survivors and perpetrators continue to contend with the deep-seated wounds that linger, including memories of torture, removal of limbs, rape, children enrolled forcefully as soldiers, death and destruction. Despite this, many have emerged resilient, refusing to allow the horrors of the past to define the possibility of a more hopeful future.

Fatumata, 18, pauses, deep in thought as she considers how to describe her experience growing up as a young girl in Liberia. Her story is personal but also reflects a wider reality for many adolescent girls. Like many girls her age, Fatumata experienced violence at home, and as commonly happens, the perpetrator faced no consequences.

According to the 2019-2020 Liberia Demographic Health Survey, 60% of girls and women in Liberia aged 15–49 have experienced physical violence, and 9% have experienced sexual violence. Only 42% of them have ever sought help.

The weight of these statistics used to be Fatumata’s quiet reality, but today, she is finding her voice as a young ambassador for change. As an intern with the Grade School Ambassadorial and Internship Program (GSAIP), she has stepped into a role that challenges the culture of impunity. The GSAIP is led by the Office for the Establishment of the War and Economic Crimes Court for Liberia (OWECC-L) and is designed to educate students about the brutal civil conflicts Liberia has endured, empower them, and instil the values of anti-corruption, non-violence, peace, and active citizenship through school-based Justice, Accountability & Rule of Law Clubs (JAR Clubs). Students are trained in leadership, conflict resolution skills, the rule of law, and transitional justice.

UNICEF has been actively involved with transitional justice initiatives in the country since the early 2000s. The GSAIP was created following the success of the 2025 Grade School Ambassadorial and Internship Summit, jointly organised by UNICEF, under its child protection and social accountability programme, and OWECC-L, as part of its national awareness and youth engagement strategy.

Through this initiative, children and young people are not only learning about Liberia’s past. They are also becoming active learners, leaders, and advocates who can promote justice, accountability, and anti-corruption among their peers.

It is through the GSAIP that Fatumata learned about what happened during the wars and the challenges Liberians faced in the aftermath. Before joining the program, Fatumata learned about advocacy for justice and the impact adolescents have on the judicial system.  

GSAIP is intentional and urges survivors of the wars to share their testimonials. Many of today’s survivors were children when their parents were murdered and never got justice; women who were raped; and former child soldiers with lingering scars, both physical and psychological.

These stories gave Fatumata the chance to learn about what happened in the past and to see things from a different perspective. Hearing people speak about their experiences and how they survived empowered Fatumata to be “bolder” and speak up for herself, both at home and at school. She took the confidence and conflict resolution skills she gained through the GSAIP with her to school. As a member of her school's JAR Club, she helped mediate conflicts between classmates, engaged in peer-to-peer engagement and urged non-violent approaches to mediation.  

“When we are young, we need to take accountability, because teaching young people to be accountable for their actions from a young age makes them less likely to repeat the past.”

Now a High School graduate, Fatumata aspires to be an accountant. She wants to see partners step up to help women and girls succeed with intentional national support that ensures retention rates climb, keeping adolescent girls in schools, together with support for functional water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities that provide sanitary pads so girls are protected and aware of good hygiene practices Without these resources, many adolescent girls resort to dangerous measures to get by or drop out of school altogether.

Currently, only 57% of girls aged 15-19 are enrolled in school, with the dropout rate standing at 10.3%. Early pregnancy remains a key driver of school dropout, with 15% of girls leaving school due to pregnancy.

Fatumata plans to continue being an advocate for women and girls: “If I cannot get justice for myself, I can get justice for others.”

What does Fatumata hope to see for other girls in Liberia? Girls who stand up for themselves, who speak out for others, who are often marginalised, so that advocacy becomes a part of every girl’s plan for a more resilient Liberia.

“We all have rights,” says Fatumata. “And we need to stand up for ourselves.”

UNICEF remains committed to supporting adolescent girls like Fatumata to reach their full potential.

#ForEveryChild #Justiceforchildren

For more detailed information, contact: 
UNICEF Liberia and the Office of the War and Economic Crime Court of Liberia.