What happened at St. Theresa Convent Catholic School should not be difficult to understand, explain, or resolve. Sexually explicit content was performed in the presence of minors. That alone is a safeguarding failure. Everything else -- committees, verifications, timelines -- comes after that basic truth.
Yet the public response once again followed a familiar Liberian pattern: concern first, urgency later, and action somewhere down the road.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection spoke plainly and firmly. Its message was clear enough for any parent, teacher, or student to understand schools must be safe spaces, explicit content has no place around children, and responsibility lies with adults -- school authorities, entertainers, parents, and organizers. No excuses. No passing the buck.
The Ministry of Education, however, chose a slower path. It acknowledged the video, admitted the content was inappropriate, and then moved into verification mode -- checking authorization, supervision, and circumstances before deciding what to do next.
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That contrast is not just about tone. It reveals something deeper and more troubling about how authority works in Liberia when children are harmed or placed at risk.
This is the same mindset that helps explain why rape, molestation, and child abuse cases so often drag on without urgency. Too frequently, the instinct of institutions is to pause, form committees, investigate endlessly, write reports, and "engage stakeholders" -- while victims and families wait, and perpetrators walk free or remain untouched by the system.
When harm is clear, delay becomes a danger.
Children do not need perfect processes; they need prompt protection. Safeguarding is not a puzzle to be solved slowly. It is a duty to be exercised decisively.
The explanation offered by Christoph The Change's management -- those students demanded the song -- only underscores why firm boundaries are necessary. Children are immature by definition. That is not an insult; it is a fact of life. They test limits. They imitate what they see. They ask for what excites them, not what protects them.
That is precisely why adults are in charge.
When a child asks for something inappropriate, the correct response is "no." Not "the crowd insisted." Not "the DJ failed to comply." Not "the moment got away from us." Responsibility does not disappear because a child shouted louder.
Professional entertainers understand restraint. Schools are not concerts. Students are not adult audiences. Yielding to pressure from minors is not an accident -- it is a failure of judgment.
Schools, too, must stop pretending that these incidents are unfortunate surprises. Every invitation extended to a performer is a choice. Every school event carries the school's values with it. Vetting content, setting clear rules, and enforcing them is not optional. It is the price of working with children.
What makes this moment especially troubling is the inconsistency. Only weeks earlier, a lesser-known school was swiftly shut down over inappropriate entertainment. This time, involving a prominent institution and a popular artist, the response has been slower and more cautious. That sends the wrong signal -- that rules bend depending on who is involved.
When enforcement looks selective, people lose faith. And when faith is lost, victims stop reporting, parents stop trusting, and abuse continues in silence.
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Liberia cannot protect its children with mixed signals. One ministry condemning while another verifies indefinitely weakens the entire system. Child protection agencies must move together, speak with one voice, and act with the seriousness these matters demand.
This is not about punishment for punishment's sake. It is about setting clear lines that everyone understands -- students, parents, schools, entertainers, and officials alike. When lines are clear and consequences are swift, behavior changes.
If we are serious about reducing sexual abuse, exploitation, and violence against children, we must start by treating every safeguarding breach with urgency. Not tomorrow. Not after another report. Now.
Children are watching how adults respond. What they learn from this moment will shape what they tolerate tomorrow. Protecting them requires firmness, coordination, and courage -- not hesitation dressed up as procedure.
