West Point is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

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 Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...

n capital city of

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

, 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 borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

between the Mesurado and

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

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

slum A slum is a highly populated Urban area, 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 p ...

Environmental degradation Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

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

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

and diseases such as

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

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 info ...

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 wer ...

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, previously known as IRIN News, or Integrated Regional Information Networks News, is an independent, non-profit news agency. The agency states that it intends to report on stories from regions that it considers overlooked or ...

, 19 November 2009. During the

2014 Ebola outbreak The 2013–2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease, centered in West Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history. It caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and S ...

, it was placed under Cordon sanitaire for 18 days. This drew criticism from health experts and human rights advocates, and Liberia's president,

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf (born 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 Monrovia to a Gol ...

, acknowledged it was a mistake.

Government

In 2018 President

George Weah George Manneh Oppong Weah (born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional Association football, footballer who served as the 25th president of Liberia from 2018 to 2024. Before his election for the presidency, Weah served ...

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 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 The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. 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