The NEWS (Monrovia)
2 April 2008
Monrovia — The mother of 15-year-old Alvin Davies, Rachel Borley, says she will go on hunger strike if the Liberian government did not release the body of her late son for burial.
Little Alvin died on December 25, 2007 as a result of a kick he allegedly received in his testes on Newport Street in Monrovia.
According to the mother, since the death of her son nearly four months ago, nothing is being done by the government to bring the perpetrators to book.
She told this paper Tuesday that her son's body is still at the John F. Kennedy morgue in a deplorable condition.
"We have walked up and down to relevant government ministries and agencies, but our efforts were in vain; from now to Thursday if my son's body is not released for burial I will go on hunger strike for them to know that I am serious," Rachel said mournfully.
Rachel said the alleged doer was moving freely in Monrovia while she and authorities of the Women in Peace Building Network (WIPNET) were on their feet seeking redress.
She praised WIPNET for identifying with her because, according to her, the Ministry of Gender and Development was doing nothing to help her follow up the case.
She noted that the death of her son was treated very low as though her son was not a Liberian citizen.
Rachel explained that she is making efforts to meet Justice Minister Philip Banks to discuss the release of her son's body for burial.
Following the death of Alvin, a suspect was arrested by the Police, but later released on ground that there was no evidence to indicate that the child died as a result of a kick he had in the testes.
The mother later requested for an autopsy to know the actual cause of her son's death since the police was skeptical.
The request for autopsy is yet to be granted because Justice Minister Banks said the government did not have money to conduct the autopsy.
However, Rachel said she leaves everything with God, but she needs the body of her son for burial.
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