MONROVIA, LIBERIA-UN Women Liberia is calling for stronger action to end child marriage and protect the rights of adolescent girls across the country.
The call comes as adolescent girls gathered in Monrovia on Wednesday for a press conference as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of the Girl, focusing on ending child marriage and investing in girls’ rights.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, UN Women Communications Specialist Loris Shannon said the press conference follows two days of activities, including leadership training and an intergenerational dialogue involving representatives of the Ministry of Gender, the Children’s Parliament of Liberia, and religious leaders.
Madam Shannon highlighted that the events were to discuss child marriage, harmful social norms, and girls’ participation in decision-making.
The UN Women Communications Specialist assured that the experiences, concerns, and recommendations provided by the participants will be addressed by relevant institutions and organizations, including UN Women Liberia.
Meanwhile, young female participants of this year’s International Day of the Girl have highlighted challenges facing young girls across Liberia, while providing recommendations to address these challenges.
Among the challenges are teenage pregnancies, early child marriage, family and peer pressure, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and lack of access to basic health education.
In their recommendations on Wednesday, October, the young participants appealed to the government and partners to include the need for more SIHI education for all girls, education for parents, and noted that pregnant girls should not be put out of school, among others.
The participants, at the same time, disclosed that while more focus is on girls’ training and awareness, government and donors should also pay keen attention to the training of boys in reducing violence against women and girls.
They thanked UN Women, the Ministry of General, and all other partners for the initiative and promised to train other colleagues in their respective communities.