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Modern Slavery in Liberia: The Trafficking of Rural Girls and the Devastating Cycle of Exploitation



In Liberia, one of the most insidious forms of modern slavery is the trafficking of young girls from rural areas under the false promise of a better life. Families living in poverty, desperate to give their daughters a chance at education and a brighter future, send them to live with relatives in cities like Monrovia. These promises of schooling, however, are rarely kept. Instead, the girls are forced into labor—selling goods on the streets or working in households—while being denied the education they were promised. Worse, they face a horrific reality of sexual exploitation and abuse, often ending up pregnant and abandoned.


As we recognize the International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, it is critical to shine a light on the plight of these girls, whose dreams of escaping poverty and receiving an education are shattered by exploitation. The trafficking of these young girls is not carried out by strangers but by relatives—family members who exploit the vulnerability of both the child and her rural parents. These girls, some as young as ten, are promised schooling and a better life in the city, but they are quickly plunged into a cycle of labor and abuse.



Once in the cities, these girls are not sent to school. Instead, they are forced to work long hours, hawking food or other goods on the streets to earn money for the household. Here, they are exposed to countless dangers. Many are sexually assaulted by men they encounter while selling on the streets, as well as by relatives' spouses or sons in the very homes where they live. The abuse often results in pregnancy, compounding the trauma they endure. Pregnant and unable to continue even their street labor, these girls are frequently abandoned by the relatives who brought them to the city and sent back to their rural homes.

For these girls, returning home means not only carrying the burden of sexual assault and pregnancy but also losing all hope of receiving an education. Their parents, already struggling with poverty, now face the additional challenge of caring for a child with a newborn, all while lacking the resources or power to hold those responsible accountable. These young mothers are thrust into a deeper level of poverty, and the cycle of exploitation, illiteracy, and hardship continues.


The failure of the system to protect these girls is evident. Despite Liberia's commitment to international conventions against child trafficking and exploitation, enforcement remains weak. Cultural norms that prioritize family loyalty often obscure the fact that trafficking is occurring, and cases involving relatives rarely result in legal action. Meanwhile, advocacy groups in Liberia are fighting to raise awareness and push for stronger child protection laws, but change is slow, and many girls continue to suffer in silence.


On the International Day of the Girl Child, we are reminded of the rights of every girl—rights to education, safety, and opportunity. Yet, in Liberia, for too many girls, these rights are violated. Instead of classrooms, they face the streets. Instead of learning, they face abuse. And instead of support, they are abandoned when they become pregnant, their dreams of education and empowerment extinguished.

The exploitation of these girls does not just deny them their education—it destroys their futures. As their families sink deeper into poverty, the young mothers often find themselves trapped in a life of further exploitation, unable to escape the cycle of hardship they were promised an escape from.




To truly combat this devastating issue, Liberia needs a comprehensive approach. First, investment in rural education is essential to ensure that families do not feel forced to send their daughters away in search of opportunity. Secondly, child protection laws must be strengthened and enforced, with no tolerance for trafficking—even when it is carried out by family members. Moreover, safe spaces must be created for these vulnerable girls, and support systems established to help those who have been abandoned.


This International Day of the Girl Child, we must not only raise awareness but take concrete action to end the trafficking and exploitation of girls in Liberia. Every girl deserves to grow up with the chance to fulfill her potential, free from violence, exploitation, and abandonment. The trafficking of rural girls must be recognized for what it is—modern slavery—and we must work collectively to end it. Only then can we give every girl the opportunity she deserves for a brighter, safer, and more empowered future.

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