Liberian Lawyer Champions Clean Water as Children's Right

A prominent Liberian lawyer just reminded his country that clean water isn't a luxury but a birthright every child deserves.

Tiawan Saye Gongloe spoke at a Day of the African Child commemoration in Monrovia, calling for universal access to safe water and sanitation. The human rights attorney drew a powerful connection between environmental protection and children's fundamental rights.

This year's observance honored the 1976 Soweto Uprising, when thousands of South African schoolchildren marched peacefully for equal education under apartheid. Police responded with bullets, killing and injuring hundreds, but the tragedy sparked a movement that eventually helped free a nation.

Gongloe says that same spirit of demanding basic rights remains urgent today. Millions of African children still lack clean water, proper sanitation, and safe hygiene facilities, putting their health, education, and dignity at risk.

The irony stings in Liberia particularly hard. The country overflows with rivers, streams, wetlands, and abundant rainfall that many nations would envy. Yet communities across Liberia struggle to access safe drinking water.

For generations, these waterways sustained Liberian families by providing fish, teaching children to swim, and offering places to build friendships. Today, irresponsible mining operations threaten these lifelines with contamination, sedimentation, and declining water quality.

Why This Inspires

Gongloe's message reframes environmental protection as a children's rights issue, not just an ecological concern. When he declares that "children suffer first" from polluted rivers and unsafe drinking water, he's demanding accountability with the most vulnerable in mind.

His approach connects immediate action to lasting change. A child who misses school because of waterborne illness loses more than a day of learning. A community that loses access to safe swimming spots loses gathering places where friendships form and childhood memories take root.

By grounding his advocacy in human rights law, Gongloe gives communities powerful language to demand better. Clean water becomes non-negotiable when framed as a fundamental right rather than a distant goal.

Liberia possesses the natural resources to solve this crisis. The question Gongloe poses is whether the nation will choose to protect those resources for the children who need them most.

One lawyer speaking truth can spark a movement, just as young people marching in Soweto half a century ago changed history.