MONROVIA – It worries Bernard Blue Benson, a father of three girls that the death of Vivian Wright, a 15 year old who experienced vaginal and anal rape prior to expiring, remains a mystery and pressure is not being mounted on the Liberian government to make sure her killers are brought to justice.
Report by Gboko Stewart, Contributor
Speaking to the family of the deceased when he made an unannounced visit on Monday December 17, Benson highlighted that it sends a bad signal that since the brutal passing of Vivian, the government has not yet issued a statement or paid a visit to the family.
“Four days have passed and not one person from the government side has been here—that’s bad news right there, especially for a young girl like that,” he said angrily. “That’s the part which is hurting me.”
Benson, owner of Hott FM and Hott TV promised to use his institution to exert pressure on the Liberia National Police to speed up the investigation into the death of Vivian.
“I came here to assure the family that we own media institution so we will pressure. I don’t know the family but we will not let it go under the rug or they pay to suppress the case – we will not do it.”
Benson called on the family to be cooperative with him in his endeavor to make sure the perpetrators are brought to the fore.
“Sometimes we need the cooperation of the family because it’s serious hard pressure we’re going to put on government so the people who did this can be brought up. Let me tell you something, if this thing is laid to rest, it will happen to somebody else in this neighborhood again and that’s how it will be going.”
Rape is one of much violence against women in Liberia that is prevalent. The Ministry of Gender first quarter statistics show that girls between the age of 13 and 27 were raped this year, while 220 girls were gang-raped in Montserrado County.
Out of the total cases recorded during the quarter under review, rape accounts for 61% and has significantly increased by 5% as compared to the first quarter report of 2017.
The incident echoes the unending threats against women in the country despite calls to end violence against women during this year’s 16 Days of Activism.