Dear Netters, Joaquim has got into print in the Navhind Times what I had been trying [quite unsuccessfully]to get into another paper...and with greater detail. He did not get the award for nothing. Well done Joaquim. Keep it up!
At another level,there must be a movement to set up "Children's Courts" with the concurrence of the High Court as per the Goa Children's Act,2003. The paedophiles and rapists are watching the inaction. The posting of Police Inspector NC Raikar back at Anjuna Police Station is surely not a step towards confidence building. He has reportedly been indicted by a Departmental enquiry for refusing to register a case of child rape and was apparently transferred out from Anjuna for this very reason. Viva Goa. Miguel original message.... Rape of the innocents - prevention and rehabilitation by Joaquim Fernandes At 13, Diya (name changed) ought to have been cocooned in a world of parental love, teachers' care and the blushing excitement of school, friends, books and games. Instead, she was forced to quit studies in standard eighth to eventually fall prey to the lust of paedophiles. Stumbling day after day through an alcoholic miasma of his own making, her father could not protect her. Her non-working mother was not resourceful enough to rise above the troubles. Despite visible signs of distress, even her parents' families did not come to her help. In the end it seems, society failed her, leaving her to be allegedly raped and abused over time by two men in their fifties; Avelino Pinto and Francis Fernandes, both from Mapusa. Social activists point out that a vigilant and conscientious public is absolutely essential for preventing paedophiles from flourishing in Goa. They say Goans normally tend to think that it is the problem of poor immigrant children, forgetting that a majority of those who were forced into the trafficking network of Freddy Peats were not of the migrant families but from the state itself. Bailancho Saad, the NGO that first cracked the Diya-case, says that public's co-operation is a must in preventing paedophiles who not only sexually abuse children but also supply them to other paedophiles for money. The public's response to the shocking case of Diya has been indifferent, they say. The Children's Rights in Goa (CRG) say they have pasted posters all along the Keri-Sinquerim beach belt of North Goa exhorting people to report suspected paedophiles to them or to the police. CRG activists say they receive more informative calls from foreigners then from local people. While highlighting the need for greater awareness among the general public to combat paedophilia in Goa, they also think the government should do more to combat alcoholism in the state. For instance, it is pointed out that there are not enough beds at the detoxification centres to help alcoholics. It is also pointed out that the infrastructure and facilities to rehabilitate paedophilia victims in Goa is very limited. It must be noted however, that Diya is under government care right now and so is her father. It is felt that the number of tourist police should be increased and that they should not just wait for complaints from people but proactively pursue paedophiles along the coastline. The greatest succour to destitute children like Diya may come from the recently-passed Goa Children's Act. It stipulates that the state government shall establish and maintain either by itself or in association with the voluntary organisations, Children's Shelters in every taluka for the reception of children in difficult circumstances, their rescue and support and for co-ordinating subsequently their care, treatment, education, development and rehabilitation. The Act also directly target paedophiles. It mandates that all persons who keep with them or reside wholly, partly or in any form with one or more children, who are not related to them by blood, shall inform this fact immediately to the authorities. In a bid to stop trafficking, the Act mandates that no child shall be allowed to enter any room of any hotel or establishment which provides boarding or lodging unless the child is registered as staying in the hotel room with family, relatives or persons related by blood. Navhind Times on the Web ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
