Unicorn in Captivity

Liberia is Africa's oldest republic, but the country became better known in the 1990’s for its violent civil war.   The civil war began in 1989 and lasted for fourteen years, until 2003.   An elected government was established in 2006 and Liberia began its road towards the realization of international human rights standards (“Human Rights Protection”).   As a result of the war, over 250,000 people died and hundreds of thousands became refugees or displaced (“US Aid from American People”).   The country was left in chaos with its government, infrastructure and economy completely destroyed.   Liberia actually emerged as one of the poorest countries in the world.   Currently, eighty four percent of the population is living below the international poverty line.   In addition to the poverty, significant health conditions exist with forty percent of the population suffering from malnutrition and only twenty five percent having access to safe drinking water (Rivollet, Marie).
As a result of the civil war and its devastating consequences on its infrastructure, economy and government, Liberia has continued to face several human rights issues.   It is the government’s responsibility of all countries to provide the basic social and development infrastructures including basic public services such as healthcare, education and justice (Williams, Abraham).   While the country has made some gains, inadequacies and deficiencies exist in the area of human rights especially with regard to children, due to ongoing issues with the education system, labor practices and the judiciary sector.  
While Liberia has had nine years of peace, educational policies have not yet improved the educational system or reduced the poverty level of the average Liberian in a meaningful way. The current president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has developed a series of goals aimed at making improvements across many segments including education.   One such goal is a universal primary education mandate by...