Monrovia, Liberia – Multiple visually handicapped Liberians staged a nonviolent demonstration on the Japan Freeway in Garnersville early on Thursday morning. Lying on the main road (vehicle road) and shouting solidarity chants, the protesters demanded that the Liberian government act quickly to improve their living conditions.
The group, many of whom were accompanied by supporters with canes, stopped a portion of the roadway and demanded government involvement, drawing attention from onlookers and drivers. The demonstration created significant traffic jams along the major route.
John Mulbah, a visually impaired protester and the group’s spokesperson, told reporters during the demonstration that the lack of access to essential services like healthcare, education, and employment prospects is hurting visually impaired people all around Liberia.
“As citizens of this nation, we are demanding our rights, not begging. We are entitled to a dignified existence. This administration has ignored our predicament.” He criticized previous governments for what the organization called “empty promises” to offer social safety nets and specialized assistance for those with impairments.
Mulbah, the spokesperson, also demanded that the National Commission on Disabilities receive more funding and that people with visual impairments be included in national development initiatives.
Their demands included access to cheap housing, vocational training, monthly welfare stipends, and employment prospects in the public and commercial sectors. “We’re not going to stop here. We will return with an even bigger crowd if our demands are not met,” they said.
The demonstration coincides with mounting public pressure on the Boakai administration to fulfill its commitments to social justice and inclusion under the ARREST agenda, which places a higher priority on roads, agriculture, the rule of law, education, sanitation, and tourism.
