Goa a thriving hub for paedophiles

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1) Video footage exposes Goa as a thriving hub for paedophiles

http://www.infochangeindia.org/ChildrenItop.jsp?section_idv=4#3319

2) Goa still a hub for paedophiles, say children's groups

http://www.infochangeindia.org/ChildrenItop.jsp?section_idv=4#3061

1) Video footage exposes Goa as a thriving hub for paedophiles

A decade after Interpol declared Goa to be a major hub for

paedophiles, video footage capturing various aspects of the sexual

abuse of children in Goa will now make it harder for the local

authorities to continue playing down concerns

Child sex abuse and exploitation is rife in Goa, with hundreds of

Europeans visiting the state to seek sexual gratification through

children. These were the shocking findings of undercover

investigations conducted by a national weekly broadsheet. The paper

says foreign paedophiles find it " easy and cheap to sexually abuse a

child here, " and alleges that the Goa administration is more

concerned about tourist dollars flying away if such disclosures

resulted in the state being scratched off the list of top tourist

destinations in the world.

Using hidden cameras to conduct their expose, over a period of five

months, the newspaper has hours of secret recordings to support its

claim that the paedophile trail can be traced all the way to tourists

from Britain, Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland and Sweden.

Following crackdowns on child sex tourism across Thailand and Sri

Lanka, the " paedophile bus has rolled into Goa, " it alleges.

Also based on leaks from official and police records, the findings

are revealing. One police memo dated February 2004 directs the

formation of a special team to " collect intelligence about

paedophilia " . It names eight foreigners as suspects -- one Dutchman,

a German and six British nationals.

The newspaper also dug up a 2001 report commissioned by the United

Kingdom government and prepared by prominent former police

investigator Ric Wood to map the extent of tourism-related

paedophilia in Goa. " Over a two-week period, Wood compiled 37 case

histories, " says the paper. " The report suggests it is virtually

impossible to quantify how many paedophiles visit Goa every year.

It's been almost a decade since Interpol declared Goa as an upcoming

paedophile destination. Yet the Government of India has slipped into

deep slumber. "

The newspaper produced a fake brochure in the name of a fictitious

event management firm, Red Satin, with which it was able to convince

local parties to agree to hire out young boys and girls for barely

camouflaged sexual activities.

Undercover, it also visited the home of a German national Harry

Ringlemann, 47, who boasted -- on hidden camera -- about how he had

hoodwinked the authorities by setting up fake companies to get a long-

term residence visa. Ringlemann stays with two young girls, claiming

one is his wife and the other an adopted daughter. Both girls were

unsure about their ages.

The paper names six foreigners who, it claims, are directly involved

in paedophilia. " Around $890 million (the amount earned from tourism

since 2001)…that's the size of the heap the chief minister will have

to dig into in order to unearth the critically important Ric Wood

report, " says the paper.

It blames the Goa government for failing to act despite being aware

of the situation. " This film and issue pertain to Goa. But it is a

national problem and a nationwide issue. Most (paedophiles) featured

here travel throughout India, " charges journalist Sasikumar, who led

the investigative team.

The high-profile expose has clearly upset the local government. Goa's

chief minister Manohar Parrikar calls the film insensitive and says

it will only act as further advertisement for those who get sexual

gratification from child abuse.

The state police too has slammed the probe. Senior police officials

maintain that paedophilia isn't such a grave problem in Goa. Their

defence for not taking steps to curb the problem is flimsy -- foreign

tourists come in via Mumbai, so keeping track of offenders is

difficult; the police need better training; constables have only

junior school qualifications; hope lies in the online criminal

information system.

Meanwhile, child rights activists in the state have welcomed the

expose. Says Nishta Desai, who heads the non-governmental

organisation Child Rights in Goa: " We've talked about this issue a

number of times. The shortness of public memory is shocking. "

Source: www.oneworldsa.net, August 11, 2004

http://www.infochangeindia.org/ChildrenItop.jsp?section_idv=4#3319

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2) Goa still a hub for paedophiles, say children's groups

Instances of child sexual abuse have tripled in the state in the last

one year. Worse, most of them go unreported

The tourist hotspot of Goa is witnessing an alarming increase in

sexual abuse of children between the ages of 10 and 16, according to

a recent report by a national children's organisation.

Child Relief and You (CRY) says that while seven children were raped

in 2002, the number tripled to 22 cases by 2003. According to its

report, more than 10,000 paedophiles visit the coastal state every

year and molest children specially brought for the trade from

Jharkhand and Orissa.

Most paedophiles are foreigners who lure children with gifts and

money. A recent Unicef study found that, in a third of cases of child

sex abuse in Goa, the perpetrators were European nationals.

What's more alarming is that research indicates that 70% of abused

children did not report what had happened to them, preferring to

suffer in silence.

D'Souza, a researcher, says there is a huge network of

paedophiles in Goa involving foreign tourists. " There are certain

tourists who come here especially for this. We believe that they have

a network; they take children to other places. They definitely are a

threat to many of the children, especially the more vulnerable ones

in coastal areas, " says D'Souza.

The police, meanwhile, refuses to comment.

" It's because Goa is being portrayed as a place where you can get

children. Children who are vulnerable. There are people who come to

Goa in search of jobs. These children do not go to school, they are

on the streets and are easy prey for such paedophiles, " says Burni

D'Souza, another local social worker.

India is not the only Asian nation burdened with this problem. Other

badly affected countries include Thailand, Sri Lanka and Cambodia,

where poverty and tourism-promotion combine to create a thriving

market.

Welfare officials estimate that there are over 60,000 child

prostitutes in India, many of them street children living in cities.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service, May 28, 2004

http://www.infochangeindia.org/ChildrenItop.jsp?section_idv=4#3061