Liberian women are leading the charge against the country's drug crisis

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MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Women's groups on Thursday led a protest of thousands of people against a rampant drug problem in Liberia, urging the government to declare a national emergency over the crisis and enforce stricter punishment for drug abuse.

Marching through the capital, Monrovia, with banners and flags, the demonstrators presented a petition at parliament that called for a special court for drug cases and to increase the jail term for first-degree drug-related felonies to a minimum of 20 years — currently the maximum term limit.

The Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia, meanwhile, launched a public campaign on Wednesday against drug use and deployed members to carry out sensitization campaigns in communities.

One in five youths in the West African country are using illicit drugs with more than 800 hubs known as “drugs dens” located across the capital, according to the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, a similar problem in some of its neighbors in Africa like Sierra Leone. The most common drug in the region is kush, a cheap, synthetic drug found to contain opioids that are sometimes deadly.

Addressing the drug crisis was a key campaign promise of President Joseph Boakai before his election in late 2023. Activists, however, accuse him of not doing enough to tackle the problem.

“We are raising our voices against the mockery of President Boakai’s promises to rescue Liberia’s youth from the scourge of addiction,” according to a statement from the women's groups of three of the nation’s political parties that are part of the ongoing campaign.

Bowoulo Taylor Kelley, one of the leaders of the female lawyers, said that the drug crisis is “destroying the future of our youth and women are bearing the brunt.”

Joanna Jah, a resident who said her son is a victim of the drug crisis, was among Thursday’s protesters.

“We have tried everything to keep them from the streets, but it has not worked," Jah said. “This is an opportunity to speak out loud — that’s why I took upon myself to form part of the march.”