West Point is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

of the

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n capital city of

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

, located on a 0.53 km² peninsula which juts out into the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

between the Mesurado and

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

rivers. West Point is one of Monrovia's most densely populated

slum A slum is a highly populated urban residential area consisting of densely packed housing units of weak build quality and often associated with poverty. The infrastructure in slums is often deteriorated or incomplete, and they are primarily inh ...

Environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

has gradually caused part of the peninsula to erode into the ocean. Endemic problems include

overpopulation Overpopulation or overabundance is a phenomenon in which a species' population becomes larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale m ...

and diseases such as

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

History

The

informal settlement Informal housing or informal settlement can include any form of housing, shelter, or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state. As such, the inform ...

was

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

in the 1940s or 1950s by fishermen. An experiment in the 1970s to move people from West Point failed. Residents returned despite squalid living conditions. People moved back to fish and make a living as informal shopkeepers and service providers close to the city centre. "LIBERIA: Disease rife as more people squeeze into fewer toilets"

IRIN News The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN News, or Integrated Regional Information Networks News) is an independent, non-profit news agency focusing on humanitarian stories in regions that are often forgotten, under-reported, misunderstood or ignored. ...

, 19 November 2009. During the

2014 Ebola outbreak Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrele ...

, the neighborhood was placed under

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

, such that nobody could enter or leave, a practice known as

Cordon sanitaire ''Cordon sanitaire'' () is French for "sanitary cordon". It may refer to: *Cordon sanitaire (medicine), a cordon that quarantines an area during an infectious disease outbreak *Cordon sanitaire (politics), refusal to cooperate with certain politic ...

. This drew criticism from health experts and human rights advocates. The quarantine was halted after 10 days, and President

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (born Ellen Eugenia Johnson, 29 October 1938) is a Liberian politician who served as the 24th president of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Sirleaf was the first elected female head of state in Africa. Sirleaf was born in Mon ...

later acknowledged that this decision had been a mistake.

Government

In 2018 President

George Weah George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (; born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who is the incumbent president of Liberia, in office since 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served a ...

appointed William C. Wea as Commissioner for West Point.Executive Mansion.
President Weah Makes further Appointments in Government
' West Point is part of the

Montserrado-7 Montserrado-7 is an electoral district for the elections to the House of Representatives of Liberia. The district covers the township of West Point and downtown Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. F ...

electoral district.National Electoral Commission.
Montserrado County Electoral District No.7 2017
'

Demographics

West Point (or Zone Z400) is divided into six communities:Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services.
Population 2008, 2014 by County, District, Clan and Households, Liberia
'

Social issues

Sanitation

The area lacks proper sanitation and public toilets. and a 2009 report by

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991 by the General Assembly to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disaster ...

estimated that there were four public toilets in the area. Pay toilets exist, but residents cannot afford them, and thus public defecation is common. The beach surrounding West Point is often used as a lavatory which creates health hazards as the water is used for drinking and fish from the water are consumed.

Child sexual abuse

Child prostitution and sex tourism is said to be rampant in the place with minor-aged girls reported to have engaged in these activities. During the Liberian Civil Wars, rape and sexual abuses were uncontrolled and widespread which were committed by several militant groups. This gave rise to the number of infected children with

AIDS/HIV Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

. In 2018,

Katie Meyler Katie Ann Meyler (born 1982) is an American activist who is the founder of the More Than Me Foundation, an organization that works to educate young women in Liberia in the midst of the West African Ebola virus epidemic. She has been recognized as ...

's More Than Me Foundation school located in West Point received multiple reports and controversies about rape and sexual abuses in her own institution which were then committed by Macintosh Johnson, the co-founder and staff of the school. These were published by several news agencies internationally leading to widespread investigations by the police. The serial rapist was reported to have abused "dozens" of young girls, aged 9-16, enrolled in the school. After more search, the police determined that Johnson had AIDS. Meyler then stepped down as the leading figure of the foundation.

References

{{Authority control City corporations, townships and borough of the Greater Monrovia District 1940s establishments in Liberia Slums in Liberia Squatting in Liberia