It is very shocking that a small state like Goa, which is considered to be having the highest ratio of education and capita income in India, also has the child abuse ratio highest in the country? According to the news published in the local daily, the statistics revealed by the Goa police’s victim assistance unit shows that more than 50 child abuse cases are reported in Goa every 2 to 3 months time in Goa.
The sources have also revealed that from the inception of the victim assistant unit in the month of April last year around 324 cases of the child abuse was reported out of which 86 are of physical abuse, 80 of sexual abuse and 71 kidnapping cases. Besides this, there are cases of child labor, begging, murder, and physical punishment.
If you recollect the case of British national Raymond Andrew Varley and late German national Freddy Albert Peats who had molested the hundreds of orphaned children in the shelter homemade for them. According to the sources, that case had stunned the state of Goa in 1990 and labeled it Pedophile Destination of India. The sources in a unit have said that there is a rise in physical abuse of children in school, home and neighborhood. The victims unit has also confirmed that there are many cases of Parents have been booked under child abuse cases which include the sexual assaults and molestation.
Based on the available statistics from the reliable sources, more girl child goes through the abuse compared to their male counterparts. The ratio goes like this 56% female and 44% male and the majority of the cases have been reported from north Goa that includes the Mapusa, Panaji, and Old Goa police station jurisdiction. The in charge of the unit has claimed that they do the follow-up on the cases till the accused are charge sheeted.
According to the Scan India NGO, the child abuse is a very old subject and it’s been there for ages but it has erupted now since it is been reported and the same is happening as the people have gained the confidence in the judiciary system.
The chairperson of Goa State Commission for Child Protection of Child Rights Sushma Kirtani has said that, the root cause of a child abuse is due to the socio-economic conditions which persist in our society, besides this, single-parent, alcoholism and drug addiction also leads to the physical abuse of the children in the state.
Looking at the above cases one thing is sure that these types of crimes take place in lower middle class or lower class social categories. As it is seen that most of the victim children belongs to the lower income group or utterly poor people those who could not manage to meet their ends in their day to day life. The criminals target these segments. In most of the cases, the complaint of the poor people is unheard in our country. Social status is all that matters here. The story of two foreign nationals, who were involved in the child abuse and rape cases of children from orphanages in Goa, tells a lot about the child abuse cases. Lack of education is also another reason behind the rise of child abuse cases in Goa. Most of these cases are related to the migrant section living in Goa. It has been noticed that, the increase in slums as a result of migration of labor class from neighboring states, results into the increased crime rate and subsequently demeaning the name of the state. Most of the metros have higher crime rates due to this only. But Goa, being the small state in size, it reflects more here. The only solution to reduce the crime rate in any state could be the eradicating of slums and boosting the educational activities in lower income group people. What is your opinion on this serious issue? Do you think the eradication of slums could lead to lower the crime rate in the state? Your comments will surely help, please go ahead and leave your valuable comments suggestions on this issue.
Source: TNN
Edited by Goa Prism News Desk
