The stigma of being labeled a zogo has lead all disadvantaged youths to be seen as criminals, putting them at risk. (Article by Dounard Bondo).
“Boulevard, Junction, Redlight!” Pacon calls out the names of stops as he directs likely passengers to share an empty taxi. When the taxi is full with passengers, the driver gives him 20 Liberian dollars (about 10 euro cents). For Pacon -- real name Mohammed Saliba -- what he earns per day is barely enough to eat and feed his drug addiction.
After his elder brother brought him on the streets at age 11 to sell snacks and fruit, Pacon got introduced to drugs and never left. At night, Pacon, who is now 27, sleeps in an abandoned building that he shares with other drug users and homeless youths.
In Liberia, Pacon and many like him are referred to as “zogos”, a derogatory term used to refer to disadvantaged people who eke out a scanty living on the streets. Most of them struggle with homelessness, violence, drug addiction and a lack of access to basic social amenities.
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