Cestos — Senee (not her real name) was dragged outside the club drunk, placed on a motorbike, and taken away by a group of five boys. A few minutes later, another girl in her teens was again brought outside by her friends - all teenagers between the ages of 13 and 16.
The second girl (name withheld) is a 5th-grade student of the Government Central Elementary and Jr. High School in Cestos City, River Cess County. Like Senee, she was also driven away on an old motorbike by another group of boys.
It was already way past 11 pm, but school-going kids as young as 13 were still dancing to beats from rugged speakers. The Liberian Investigator has gathered that the club opens at about 7 pm and runs till the break of dawn.
Many people in Cestos City are worried about the impact this situation may have on the community.
This building was never meant to be a nightclub. It was built by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) as a vocational institute. Now, it is luring underaged girls and boys to drink alcohol and dance to the latest afro beats. Sometimes, it is a motel and a ghetto.
The Liberian Investigator further discovered that patrons, who cannot afford the cost of the motel, use the beach to satisfy their sexual pleasure.
The workshop's current look: Photo by Eric Opa Doue
In 2016, FAWE constructed and dedicated the facility as a Training and Vocational Center. Following years of operation, FAWE temporarily shut down its operations in the county due to what it termed as "donor fatigue."
The facility was left in charge of a management committee to ensure it is preserved while FAWE gathers funding to restart activities.
The Facility in 2016: Photo Credit FAWE' Facebook Page.
Samuel Outland, a member of the facility management committee, told The Liberian Investigator his committee is unaware of the extent at which the facility is being misused.
Outland blames a man identified as George Gbargee, whom he claims, "provides security for the facility".
"We the members of the committee have on so many occasions requested to meet the caretaker so he can tell us who authorized him to use that area for nightclub," Outland said.
"Anytime we planned, he would not show up. The facility is being wrongly used because it was not intended for a nightclub. That place was meant to give our unfortunate brothers and sisters some vocational education that would make them useful to society. But today, it is the other way around, drunkards, prostitutes, drug users, and murderers are the ones being trained over there."
Outland is also aware of the growing concerns amongst community members. He said the committee is planning to intervene.
"We cannot just sit back and do nothing," says Outland. "This is an issue of concern that should claim the attention of everyone. Our daughters are being raped in that same area. At times we hear different, different bad news about that place."
George Gbargee, the caretaker of the facility, confirmed to The Liberian Investigator that the building is being used as a nightclub, arguing that it is difficult to restrict the influx of underaged patrons.
"It is not easy to get one person taking care of the big area," says Gbargee, who claims that the absence of FAWE makes the property vulnerable. "Imagine one person as security, janitor, and everything. So, I said it is better to keep the place busy."
Amid the concerns about the misuse of the facility, residents are worried that it may be used as a breeding ground for criminals.
Merlin George, a resident of Cestos - who is also a field officer of the Red Cross - is worried that "if nothing is done about the place, another generation of children in River Cess will end up "being useless to society."
"The place is spoiling our children," George asserts. "We have heard cases of rape, attempted murder, and different bad news from over there. It is not anything that is in hiding. The kids will go over there from 7 pm and they will stay there until in the morning."
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Tukan Quaye, who lives close to the facility, is worried about the safety of children who go to the club at night.
"The hours those children can come from in that corner is what can worry me," says Quaye. "It is dangerous, then you have 13, 14-year-old children coming from there 3 a.m."
Though Quaye was not specific, he says relevant authorities should take immediate actions.
FAWE Village Night Scene: Photo by Eric Opa Doue
The Liberian Investigator has reached out to FAWE through its Country Director, Jarvis Fletcher, who termed the situation as the most "disappointing news" he has ever heard in recent times.
Fletcher claims that when he sought clarity about the misuse of the facility, the caretaker George Gbargee had denied it. However, Fletcher told The Liberian Investigator that FAWE is doing everything possible to resume operation in the county soon.
