MONROVIA, LIBERIA-The United Youth for Peace, Education, Transparency and Development in Liberia, a local advocacy group, is calling for enhancement in the country’s water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) Sector to complement the fight against substance abuse.

The group, in a statement released in Paynesville over the weekend, said poor WASH access contributes to social breakdowns that can push people, especially vulnerable youth, towards drugs.

The release quotes United Youth Gender Coordinator, Henrietta Jimmy, as saying that in communities where clean water is scarce, toilets are unsafe, and hygiene services are inadequate, young people often feel abandoned by their leaders, system, and society, something she said can lead to a sense of neglect, frustration, and despair, which are known drivers of substance abuse.

 “Girls who lack safe toilets drop out of school. Children who suffer waterborne illnesses miss learning opportunities,” Madam Jimmy noted, adding, “when young people are out of school and idle, they are more likely to fall into drug use, gangs, or crime.”

According to her, poorly managed sanitation areas, open dumpsites, and unlit public toilets often become hideouts for drug users and criminal activity, increasing exposure and normalization of drug abuse among children and adolescents.

Madam Jimmy added, “Clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene promote a sense of dignity, health, and hope. These are protective factors against depression and escapism, both of which are tightly linked to drug use.”

Meanwhile, the United Youth for Peace, Education, Transparency and Development in Liberia, in the statement, stressed that now is the time that the issue of WASH is seen as a public health and social protection tool, not just a basic service.

It called on the Liberian government to increase district-level budget allocations for WASH in slums and high-risk areas, and for civil society organizations and youth groups to include WASH access in drug prevention campaigns.

The group also stressed the need for development partners and the private sector to support integrated programs that combine WASH services with youth empowerment and mental health support, and that communities and parents advocate for clean environments and keep young people engaged in productive lives.