Has Goa failed its children by not doing enough to deter their killers and rapists?
Children are supposed to be our heritage given by God. But have we, the people of Goa and the administrative system of this State, failed in protecting this heritage from the rapists and killers of our children? The answer seems to be a big yes, considering the shocking statistics at our disposal. In last five years, 343 cases of assault and sexual harassment have been registered, which could be just the tip of the iceberg. Of these, 238 cases are against girls under the age of 18. In 23 of these cases, the accused have been acquitted due to lack of evidence. In all, 308 chargesheets have been filed. Last year, maximum number of cases (75) related to sexual harassment were filed. Three of the accused have been sentenced after trial. Four of the accused are involved in cases related to absolute minors. In fact, three of the accused are juveniles themselves, facing trial under the Juvenile Justice Act. From 2018 till date, the majority of the victims have been in the 15-18 age group. In the weekly Herald TV debate Point-Counterpoint, SUJAY GUPTA digs deep into this malice and tries to find out why we have failed in protecting our children
The rising cases of sexual assault and harassment of minors in Goa is extremely alarming and the situation could turn worse if strong action is not taken against the perpetrators of the crime.
Unfortunately, the system which is supposed to act on this, has failed primarily because of the skewed data and also the fact that a large number of children are assaulted and raped, while many of the perpetrators remain out of the law’s dragnet due to the loopholes in our justice system.
Adv Caroline Colaco, Criminal and Human Rights lawyer said that the statistics of increasing violence against children is alarming. “Be it cases of rape, kidnapping or sexual harassment, the instances are rising alarmingly. It is very depressing for people who are in the field to reverse this trend,” Adv Colaco said.
“As a lawyer, I would say that conviction of the accused is necessary to ensure justice for the victim. Therefore one of the first things required for it is a dedicated and trained police to see that the charge sheets filed in the court are watertight,” she said.
Raising the issue of the high number of acquittals, she said that although a high number of charge sheets are being filed in the court, the acquittals are also a matter of concern.
“It is very important for the government and the Director of Prosecution to analyse the judgement to see what went wrong. If out of 100 cases, 93 are acquitted and no one is analysing what went wrong with the investigation, then there lies a much bigger problem,” she said.
She added that the Supreme Court highlighted the need for trained and dedicated police personnel only for crime investigation, but no one pays heed to it.
Raising the issue of the high number of acquittals, she said that although a high number of charge sheets are being filed in the court, the acquittals are also a matter of concern.
“It is very important for the government and the Director of Prosecution to analyse the judgement to see what went wrong. If out of 100 cases, 93 are acquitted and no one is analysing what went wrong with the investigation, then there lies a much bigger problem,” she said.
She added that the Supreme Court highlighted the need for trained and dedicated police personnel only for crime investigation, but no one pays heed to it.
News Article: Herald Goa
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