Family for Every Child stands with the people of Liberia as they mourn the death of the 27 children who died in the boarding school fire near the city of Monrovia. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the children who died, and to all those who have suffered.
Our member, Children Assistance Program (CAP) Liberia, would also like to express their condolences.
“All of us at CAP Liberia would like to express our solidarity with the families affected by the tragic boarding school fire near Monrovia this week. Every child deserves the right to a positive childhood, with high-quality care that protects them and enables them to thrive. We will continue to offer our support for effective safeguarding for each and every child in Liberia.”
This tragedy reaffirms the urgent need for all those involved in the care of children to provide high quality care that includes proper safeguarding measures that can help to avert such events. Alongside the 2017 fire in an orphanage in Guatemala, this shows us that child protection and safeguarding is a matter for global concern that needs to be tackled by governments and organisations worldwide. Additionally, we remain firmly committed to the recommendations of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Guidelines on the Alternative Care for Children, which assert the rights of children to be raised in safe and loving families whenever possible.
As the Government of Liberia seeks to further its own commitment to upholding children’s rights, we offer our support, and our combined experiences in care reform, deinstitutionalisation and family strengthening, to ensure all the country’s children benefit from a strong national care system, able to both strengthen families and uphold children’s rights to quality alternative care when needed.
