country programs
About Youth Crime Watch of Liberia
Youth Crime Watch of Liberia helps schools and communities in Liberia start and sustain their crime watch programs. Services will include:
- Background information about Youth Crime Watch
- YCW awareness presentations
- YCW implementation training for new sites
- Technical assistance getting new sites started
- Technical assistance once sites are up and running
News from Liberia
Liberia fights the drug trade
YCWL director Zuo Taylor takes the fight against illegal drugs in Liberia seriously. The following article from the Voice of America news server sheds some light on this serious problem.
Source: Voice of America
Liberia Fights Growing Illegal Drug Trade
By Scott Bobb
Dakar
20 November 2008
West African governments last month adopted a plan of action to fight drug trafficking amid evidence that some countries in the region are becoming major drug transshipment points. In Liberia, officials fear their country may be turning into a major point of origin for illegal drugs and have taken actions to prevent it. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from our West Africa Bureau in Dakar.
Liberian police officials began to suspect their country was developing a bad drug habit when they started seizing large quantities of drugs during routine road checkpoints.
The Deputy Operations Director of the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency, Richllue Taye, says his group this year carried out six major operations in northern Nimba and Bong counties.
"Of late we have been targeting farms," said Richllue Taye. "But it is dangerous so most times we get back up from the army and military police when we go to those farms."
He says during the operations 440,000 cannabis plants were destroyed and one ton of dried marijuana was seized.
In Liberia, marijuana in particular is being grown in large quantities, most of which is consumed locally. But narcotics trafficking is increasing. A ship was seized this year off the Liberian coast carrying 1.7 tons of cocaine with an estimated street value of half a billion dollars.
Taye says Liberia's drug enforcement agency faces numerous obstacles.
"We do not have equipment to scan," he said. "We do not have sniffing dogs. They [traffickers] have become so bad because of our inability to fully monitor them and track them down because they are sophisticated and we have limitations."
Twelve hundred United Nations police officers are helping to re-build the Liberian police force which was disbanded following the civil war.
Commissioner Henrik Stiernblad fears that drugs are becoming part of Liberian culture.
"Unemployed young people, many of them being ex-combatants are using a lot of marijuana," said Henrik Stiernblad. "And we see this has a very destructive effect because they need an income to pay for their addiction and that means that many of them do commit crimes."
Twenty-year-old Monrovia resident John Weah is a drug user who takes cocaine and marijuana.
"I take drugs because I cannot do without it, you know," said John Weah. "I am an ex-combatant. During the war we used to take drugs and it is used to my system and any time I am out of it I feel very bad. I just cannot do without it."
Stiernblad says the drug trade places additional strain on the new police force.
"We are daily working on trying to build their capacity to function as an organization and to deal with local crime," he said. "But when they are facing surges in crime this is very challenging for a young police organization."
Some Liberian organizations have emerged that are trying to combat drug abuse and drug dealing among young people. Zuo Taylor is president of Youth Crime Watch-Liberia.
"We see that it is dangerous for us at this particular time considering the fact that we consider ourselves the future leaders of tomorrow," said Zuo Taylor. "And we must be able to engage our young people to stay away from this deadly act."
U.N. officials say Liberia's security priorities have shifted away from re-establishing peace and stability to a focus on law and order. But an effective police force is needed to address both challenges.
The head of the U.N. Mission to Liberia, Ellen Margrethe Loj, says the illegal drug trade also poses a challenge to stability in the region.
"Both the history in Liberia indicates that, but certainly also what is happening in the whole sub-region in relation to drugs, [indicates] we have to watch very carefully so it does not take root here," said Ellen Margrethe Loj.
Officials agree that the drug trade in Liberia has not evolved to the point of bringing drug-related violence and corruption as seen in some other countries. But they see this threat as one more reason to fight it.
YCW Liberia Annual Report for 2007
Youth Crime Watch Liberia has been busy making a difference in the lives of young people. From public education to concerts and contests, the YCWL team has shown a strong creative commitment to crime prevention in Liberia. Focuses have included: sexual exploitation and abuse, constructive disarmament and peace building, general crime prevention concepts, and community building.
Read YCW Liberia's inspiring 2007 Annual Report (PDF 2 MB).
January 2007: YCW Liberia launches college program at AME University
The Youth Crime Watch of Liberia A.M.E. University site was officially launched on Wednesday, January 24, 2007. The program took place in the university�s auditorium at about 10:00 am.
The launching program was well attended and brought together students, top government officials, members of the faculty and representatives of other campus-based organizations. Also in attendance were students of the Len Miller High School, the St. Theresa Convent High School, the Monrovia College High School, and the GW Gibson High School among others. Serving as Keynote Speaker during the program was a proxy of the United Nations Secretary General Special Representatives to Liberia, Amb. Alan Doss. He called on Liberian youth to play a major role in keeping the hard earned peace in war-torn Liberia stressing that the future of their country lies in their hands. Speaking earlier was the president of the YCWAMEU Site Stephen Kawalawu. He extended thanks and appreciation to the University family for accepting their request to establish the program there. He further commended the university for their moral and financial support and promised that they will use the opportunity afforded them wisely. The Vice President for Administration of the A.M.E. University expressed the Administration�s interest in assisting the Youth Crime Watch program citing it was time for young people to take responsibility of their own safety and welfare. The Youth Crime Watch AMEU Site was officially declared open by young Liberian business executive Sumo Mulbah, whose donation of two hundred US dollars will help fund the program. Mr. Mulbah called on his fellow youth to work hard against the use of illicit drugs amongst young people which he said was destroying our society. The launching program was capped by a sexual exploitation and abuse awareness program done in collaboration with the UNMIL Information Section, which provided banners, T-shirts and flyers.
