A society that notices the abuse down towards and against the safety of women, and yet continues to close their eyes when it comes to proposing a solution. This type of behavior can be seen in the Caribbean. Specifically in Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is a dual island Caribbean nation located near Venezuela. Stories like Andrea Bharatt and Ashanti Riley show that work within the government of Trinidad and Tobago needs to be had, and that won’t come unless we bring attention to it. This blog will focus more on the story of Ashanti Riley.
In Trinidad and Tobago they don’t necessarily have the same systems like Uber, and Lyft. Instead they rely on a more traditional system called Maxi Taxis,buses, and privately owned cars. The buses do not run on a constant fixed schedule. They don’t come as frequently as the MTA systems in New York. Maxi Taxis are private, owner-operated mini buses that stop along main roads providing people a ride to where they need to go. They run along a fixed route however do not have time stamps.
Ashanti Riley was a 18 year old girl who got in a privately owned taxi in hopes of going to her grandmother’s house for a birthday party. Though the actual voyage of the ride shouldn’t have been longer than 15 minutes, Riley never in fact arrived at her grandmother’s house. Instead of being taken to her rightful destination, Ashanti Riley instead was taken to a private area where she was raped, and then stabbed and beaten. Her body was then dumped in a shallow water course off the side of the road, and found 5 days later by authorities. It was later found that the same men that did this horrendous act to Ashanti Riley also raped two other young girls around the ages of 16-18. When searching the possessions of the men, authorities recovered one pink colored Iphone, female underwear, one pair of white slippers, a purse, as well as many other belongings of young girls.
In response to the death of Ashanti Riley, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago stated that it was a national pain, and went on to say, “Everyone one of us is diminished by the news of what happened to that child or the children who have been assaulted.” In his appearances in the public eye he spoke vaguely of the incidents, and didn’t really say the names of the victims which is very insensitive. When asked about lethal weapons the prime minister stated that the government doesn’t believe women possessing/carrying a lethal weapon will help their case. And this is true but to an extent. The idea of women carrying lethal weapons such as tasers and pepper spray definitely won’t prevent all the cases, but it can be a means of allowing the women a sort of escape.
Cases like these in Trinidad and Tobago have been occurring way too often. It is time to step up, and take actions to prevent young girls and women from being taken advantage of. So what can we do to prevent this from happening and provide a safe space for women? If lethal weapons are portrayed to be too risky, then what other alternative can we provide? Personally I think it does start with allowing women and young girls to carry self-defense weapons like pepper spray or a taser. I also think people need to crack down on the authorities and the government, and ensure that they actually take actions to put the accused away. Another solution could also be creating a system of safe transportation. Whether it is background checks and then having the guaranteed safe drivers have some sort of identification on their vehicle to let passengers know it is safe to get in those cars/vans.
Works Cited
Alexander Bruzual, “Murder of Ashanti: Driver to be Charged”, 2020
Stabroek News, "Trinidad: Autopsy result on Ashanti reveals brutal ends", 2020
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