While everyone is ga ga over India’s 10% pa economic growth, and cell phone companies are valued at $ 25 Billion, little children are killed for their organs while the parents are still searching for them a year later. And now a new report says that Goa is taking over from Cambodia and Thailand as the child prostitution capital of the world. What’s going wrong with our society ?
Goa is THE destination of the Indian Elite for Christmas and New Year. All the people that care have to do is say “We will not visit Goa unless this abuse of our children by foreign tourists is stopped and the local goverment takes immediate action”.
Then watch the local hotels owners themselves force the local goverment to take action as they lose bussiness.
Check this site :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6230957.stm
shekhar
Child abuse is sickening!! As I commented on ‘A mother’s letter from Noida’ and spoke about the law of our country relating to child abuse, I would like to stress it here that the biggest victims of child abuse are the less fortunate children. The recent colaba and Goa case that convicted the two foreigner abusers (I don’t remember their names) put some light on Child abuse in Goa and various other places going on since years! The victors are mostly foriegners and the elite Indians who trade children for sex. It is apalling to imagine a child in that state of agony and horror. Most of the children are forced to go to earn some money. The worst part is that it totally erases the definition of morality in the minds of children as well and the possibility of them doing the act in the future is equally high! Sometimes I wonder, do we stay in a nation who considers children as it’s future? The same children who are waiting, in pain, for someone to break this chain of inhumanity that the canine man has bound them in? Or are they waiting for the moolahs to fill in their pockets to stop it?
Shekhar, why talk about 10% growth and cell phone company valuation? We should still be ga-ga over those things in spite of what some sick bastards are doing in Goa.
Shekhar: Thank you for your support to the Goa anti-paedophilia campaign. However, the link you provided is to a synopsis of a BBC World Service radio programme that was broadcast on Friday 5 Jan. and is quite tame stuff compared to the real McCoy. The audio file of the programme (23 minutes) will continue to be on the website for a few more days and I would urge as many people as possible to listen to it.
To listen to the audio report go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/6232043.stm
On the right side of the page you will find the options:
Three Ways to Listen
Select your preference from:
LISTEN NOW
DOWNLOAD
PODCAST
Allan Urry is BBC journalist who did the report. I emailed him a few days ago and he then phoned me. It emerged that he is planning to return to the case and would be grateful for feedback and leads. I am certain that he will be delighted to hear of this page.
What particularly alarms me is that Goa’s politicians and police are in denial of the problem. This will result in the foreign paedophiles pouring into Goa and creating a demand which sources will rush to supply. Already I have seen the Allan Urry report appearing in the German, Spanish, French, and Portuguese Press. The word is out in the street …
Thanks for the links Shekhar & Goan!
These things have been ignored for quite a while. But the skeletons are slowly evolving out…literally!!!
Sid Singh Ji, These things need to be mentioned…no one is blaming the Indian government for the 10% growth. But are we so LOST in development that we don’t care for these bastardly things???
where there is development there r always great problems,the problem is big n thats fast bucks,be4r i remember my child life friendly neighbours,less corruption but now goa is become so bad that neighbour want neighbour blood,to much jealousy,to much prostitution,also they dont even spare children,wake up goa wakeup.
where there is development there r always great problems,the problem is big n thats fast bucks,be4r i remember my child life friendly neighbours,less corruption but now goa is become so bad that neighbour want neighbour blood,to much jealousy,to much prostitution,also they dont even spare children,wake up goa wakeup.
Dear Goan, could u give me the e mail id of Allan Urry. Maybe all of us together can make many more people that love Goa aware of this problem. Shekhar
The classic depiction of the child abuser is the man in the shadows waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting child, or perhaps a family member.
The widepread abuse going in Goa leads one to suspect that, following on from the economic argument, that this is not a case of random but frequent cases, but a big business for someone / some people.
Where there is big business, there are usually people with big money behind it – I would’nt be in the least surprised if child abuse and prostitution in Goa is run by politicians / businessmen and the police as a very profitable sideline in a booming economy desperate for foreign currency – these are the people who should be identified and brought to justice before anymore damage is done…but who is going to bell the cat ?
Indians should start looking at the problem that exists within, which is also widespread and very often ignored – only one film I can think of, Monsoon Wedding, dealt with this, but it’s the exception.
Before pointing to the problem as being one related to foreign tourists there is the problem that abusers within the country can now link up with similar people via the internet & other modern forms of communication (mobile phones etc…) and propagate their vile activities for profit.
I have seen this behaviour of foreign tourists time and again with children, it did invite my suspicion. I have noticed that children usually approach the foreigners. They have been trained to do so. Much of us Indians who visit Goa, have never actually stopped to ask them what they are doing. Moreover, the children avoid Indians completely. They run away when anyone approaches them, else another elder watching over them helps them escape. The problem is you cant sight a single cop on the beaches where you can report the problem. The problem is rampant on the foreigner infested beach like Anjuna! Who will put forward this basic request to have a police post on all beaches to the Local Govt.????? Goa has tourism cops to assist foreigners. But what about our children!
Iam not against prostitution.I feel its high time we legalise it and protect the soft target like children from this sex seeking creatures
According to the recently released 2007 State of the World’s Children – 1103371 thousand of the world’s children live in India with an average life expectancy of merely 64 years. 76 % of these are reportedly attending primary school. 46% still undergo a child marriage. India’s adult literacy rate ration is 73 men to every 48 woman. Of these, 120:112 is the primary school enrollment ration, and 79:72 is actual attendance. The secondary school enrollment ratio dramatically drops to 59:47 and attendance therein to 54:46. As we stand, we are nowhere near ensuring safe, protected, fulfilling environments in which our children can study, and progress out of this situation.
We are a nation with poor educational infrastructure, pushing a bulk of our children towards manual labour, agricultural, tertiary and blue collar jobs.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, India has the single largest incidence of street children in the world. Reports of conservative estimates approximate that at 18 million children. (International Herald Tribune Jan 26, 2006). That’s last year’s estimate. Since then, the Child Labour Laws have come into effect in India. Which means, that none of these 18 million children now have legal recourse to employment in any part of the country – whether as tea boys, peons, table cleaners (however horrific it may seem to you and me, taking away their ability to be legally employed did not provide them with alternatives by which to support themselves, thus making them all the more vulnerable to predators). All those children and then some, are all still out there!
18 million children on our streets, most without parents or guardians, are vulnerable to the attacks of molesters, paedophiles and organ traffickers such as those in Nithari, human traffickers, drug dealers, and diseases such as TB, Malaria, and AIDS.
What’s all the fuss about education for? Oprah’s school addresses a vital need in the battle against AIDS too. It ensures that the survivors of the disease, rendered vulnerable by its predatory action, don’t fall further pray to the cyclical nature of the epidemic by removing them from its immediate environment and its immediate repercussions. It breaks patterns of social behaviour reinforced by the saturated environment, and pushes them to seek higher standards of living, hope for stability, value environments and situations that provide safety and protection.
Above all it teaches children to value themselves, believe that they can change the circumstances in which they were born, push for that change, and permits them the opportunity in which to engage in these. It takes them off the street and into an environment that is safe – away from hunger that may push them into either lawlessness or towards lurking predators.
Paedophilia in Goa, organ trafficking in Nithari, gang rape in Bhiwandi – it’s just the first week of the year. We need schools like Oprah’s.
Thanks GJ for the informative post. 20 million street kids in India right now, probably adding a million a year to that number through birht rates, population movement to urban areas, in 10 years we will have a population of over 30 million uneducated teenagers that grew up with no care whatsoever. Thye will never forgive the society that allowed this to happen to them. Shekhar
hi shekhar,
I found this on the net and thought people here would be interested in reading it.
http://www.lawyerscollective.org/lc_mag/freedownloads/magazine2000/April_2000/child_sexual_abuse.htm
Its just an insight of the law on child abuse in india.
Nikita
Today, I finally found time to read through this blog. I have been moved. I hope to post regularly from hereon. I have not blogged before, so please bear with me.
Why India fails
In India the breath moves slowly, the afflatus is long in coming. India, the ancient mother, is indeed striving to be reborn, striving with agony and tears, but she strives in vain. What ails her, she who is after all so vast and might be so strong? There is surely some enormous defect, something vital is wanting in us, nor is it difficult to lay our finger on the spot. We have all things else, but we are empty of strength, void of energy. we have abandoned Shakti and are therefore abandoned by Shakti. The mother is not in our hearts, in our brains, in our arms.
The wish to be reborn we have in abundance, there is no deficiency there. How many attempts have been made, how many movements have been begun, in religion, in society, in politics ! But the same fate has overtaken or is preparing to overtake them all. They flourish for a moment, then the impulse wanes, the fire dies out, and if they endure, it is only as empty shells, forms from which Brahma has gone or in which it lies overpowered with ‘Tamas’ and inert. Our beginnings are mighty, but they have neither sequel nor fruit.
Our Knowledge is a dead thing for want of Shakhti
Is it knowledge that is wanting? We Indians, born and bred in a country where ‘Jnana’ has been stored and accumulated since the race began, bear about in us the inherited gains of many thousand years. Great giants of knowledge rise among us even today to add to the store. Our capacity has not shrunk, the edge of our intellect has not been dulled or blunted, its receptivity and flexibility are as varied as of old. But it is dead knowledge, a burden under which we are bowed, a poison which is corroding us, rather than as it should be a staff to support our feet and a weapon in our hands; for this is the nature of all great things when they are not used or are ill used, they turn upon the bearer and destroy him.
Our knowledge then, weighed down with a heavy load of ‘Tamas’, lies under the curse of impotence and inertia. We choose to fancy indeed, nowadays, that if we acquire science all will be well. Let us first ask ourselves what we have done with the knowledge we already possess, or what have those who have already acquired science been able to do for India. Imitative and incapable of initiative, we have striven to copy the methods of England and America, are we likely to succeed any better? The mighty force of knowledge which western Science bestows is a weapon for the hands of a giant, it is the mace of Bheemsen; what can a weakling do with it but crush himself in the attempt to wield it?
I work with a local newspaper in Goa, Gomantak Times and has been closely following the organised network of traffickers and child sexual abuse along with my collegue Peter de SOuza.
Allan Urry being a BBC reporter is able to get across his piece to everyone who matters. but it is also important to note that the two main persons (read NGOs) quoted in the story – Nishtha Desai of Children’s Rights Goa and Arun Pandey of Arz are saying that they have been misquoted.
When Arun Pandey said, “Traffickers in Bombay contact the local traffickers and ask them how many girls they want, and then they traffic the girls by buses. The local traffickers receive these girls from the bus stop and then they supply them to the hotels and lodges… it’s a very organised network,” to Allan,he was actually referring to traffciking of persons for commercial sex work and not child sexual abuse. this has been clarified by Arun himself.
Try this link
http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/irc/newsdesk_articles.asp?SCID=1869
more dope if you are interested to know
regards preetu
Well, if tourism is prompting this sick, disgusting behaviour the tourism ministry needs to get involved and so do the embassies which issue visa’s to these creeps.Warnings/fliers need to be given out against approaching children.
I have a feeling that tourists make up a tiny percentage of this problem, the real issue lies elsewhere – in the attitude of the people.
This been said, what is the source of the problem?? What about those children who know no better – their rehabilitation?
The media which reports such excesses on one hand, portrays children via its various channels
in a distasteful way under the guise of talent!!
In Indian society topics such as these are considered a taboo. Awareness is still lacking and just as one advertises against smoking, we need corporate sponsors who can spread the word against abuse, projecting the message into every living room. Education begins at home – talking about strangers and rules about personal space need to be emphasized. A small wave perhaps could ripple and spread the message to protect an innocent.
I have replied to Shekhar giving him the contact details he wanted. However, I may have misled you by referring to the Goa anti-paedophilia campaign. That is very much a solo effort and limited to my attempt to publicise the nature of the problem. Yesterday, for example, I came across:
Child Sex Abuse in Goa.
13 Jan. 2007. Peter De Souza and Preetu Nair go behind the statistics and zeros in on the men and women who add to the traffic on Goa’s sex highway. And it’s piling up. Excerpts: investigations reveal that organised crime of trafficking revolves around two master traffickers: Carlos, the Jackal in North Goa and Raju in South Goa … in Calangute and Sinquerim alone there are at least forty rich and elderly foreigners who openly live with children … Raju’s main accomplice is a shack owner in Colva nicknamed Sex whose job is to provide bikes and young children to foreigners … his godfather is a top and controversial politician from South Goa. They also have an Italian partner, who runs a prominent Italian restaurant near the fish market in South and has connection with rich foreign tourists along the entire beach belt in the South.
Full text, 1983 words at http://goadourado.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/01/child-sex-abuse-in-goa.htm
Also check out the substantial Tehelka undercover investigation in 2004. See: http://www.tehelka.com/story_main5.asp?filename=Ne080714Sin_in_Paradise.asp&id=1
its true sir,
there is a lots going on goan beaches,the WORD HUMANITY is drown forever in GOA,there is a lot of prostitution going in goa from colleges to beach lammanis underage girls,n mainly there r politicians who give backup to this sextrade,everybody loves the big notes,so they dont care who die who live,because our judisciary law is sleeping.if law was perfect than nobody should be doing such dirty things.
Trafficking comparitively low in Goa: Dr PM Nair
Goa is considered to have the highest levels of inter-state trafficking of persons compared to other states, thanks to an National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) study. The man behind the report was an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Dr PM Nair, who was the Principal investigator-Researcher for the project and the present Project Coordinator of Anti Human Trafficking, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which is training Goa police. PREETU NAIR catches up with Dr Nair, who reveals
that it is wrong to say that Goa has highest inter-state trafficking compared to the other states. Besides, he candidly admits that some
NGO’s working on the issue of trafficking in Goa, don’t know the basic difference between trafficking and prostitution.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. How did you arrive at a conclusion that Goa has the highest levels of inter-state trafficking in the country?
A. For the study, random sampling of 4006 persons across the country was done. In Baina, we went around 150 houses. The study showed various dimensions of inter-state and intra-state trafficking. From this we came to a conclusion that intra-state trafficking is quite
high in other states compared to Goa.
Q. So you agree that it is wrong to say that Goa has the highest levels of inter-state trafficking of persons compared to other states?
A. Yes. Absolutely. You can’t say that Goa has the highest inter-state trafficking compared to the other states. Infact, you can’t say that
trafficking is high or low at any place it. Even if there is no trafficking crime, trafficking may take place.
Q. Various NGO’s are simultaneously conducting training programmes andworkshops for sensitising police about trafficking. Don’t you think
too many cooks spoil the broth and create confused policemen?
A. Before we embarked on this training programme, we did a training need analysis, for which we called senior and junior officers and
functionaries in the police station. I was surprised when over 50 percent of them said that they had attended few “workshops” in the
last five years in Goa and learnt that paedophilia exists and there is sex tourism. However, they were blissfully unaware of how to address
the issue, investigate it and take it to its logical conclusion. The so-called “workshops” were on limited issues, depending on the
requirement of the NGO or funding agency. However, UNODC’s empowerment programme is in partnership of GoI, state government and UN with a
regular, structured and focussed training program after which we expect some accountability as we will be asking the police what they
have done.
Q. Don’t you think that the NGO’s in Goa themselves need to be trained and sensitised about handling issues on trafficking?
A. There is no doubt about it because during the training needs analysis we had invited few NGO’s and we found that many of them were still unaware of the dimensions of trafficking. Surprisingly, many still believe prostitution is trafficking and trafficking is prostitution. To remove this mystification there is a definite requirement to train the NGO’s working in this field.
Q. Did these NGO’s in the past ever conduct workshops for sensitising the police?
A. Yes, some of them have.
Q. Can you name the NGO’s?
A. No. That won’t be proper (smiles).
Q. How much of the money given to combat trafficking in persons has actually reached the trafficked victims?
A. This is the problem with the workshop-conference culture. We at UNODC don’t believe in this and expect accountability.
Q. Don’t you think that just training programs without proper rehabilitation is futile to combat trafficking?
A. Yes. Law enforcement has to have corresponding activities by development agencies. The networking between the police department and other departments will be developed in such a way that once the police rescue the person, the other departments will also have its responsibility.
(Article appeared in Gomantak Times, Goa Edition, India)
Workshop tourism!
By Preetu Nair
Sunday, September 03, 2006
PANJIM:
FIRST THE FIGURES: Nearly 12 workshops on women and child trafficking in three months. In other words, every month there are at least four workshops on trafficking of children. Besides, two training programmes to sensitise the police has been held at Police headquarters, Panjim. In September three more consultations on trafficking have already been announced.
NOW THE FACT: These workshops and conferences are increasingly becoming more about “building partnerships” and less about children or trafficked victims. Check out what is happening in the child friendly state, even as activists are busy formulating new “drafts of conduct” and “mainstreaming child rights”. This is just the tip of an iceberg.
The trafficked victims of Baina are still awaiting rehabilitation. A minor girl from Mohana, Orissa is trafficked to Goa and employed as a domestic help at a Public Prosecutor’s (PP) house in Margao. She is rescued from the PP’s house (cupboard to be precise) and sent to Apna Ghar. But no action is taken against the PP, though he is a government employee.
The state government gives an in-country adoption license to Preet Mandir and the child activists hardly react. Finally, media activism forces state government to suspend license.
This is a clear indicator that somewhere, something has gone wrong. “Training, legislation and sensitisation programmes are important. At the moment there is an overdose of consultations on the same subject. Moreover, reaching out to victims and providing services to them is far more important,” explains Arun Pandey, ARZ.
Audrey Pinto, CRG, argues, “It helps to sensitise to a certain extent. There is an awareness created through these conferences and workshops.” But Bernie D’Souza, Jan Ugahi, calls this “Workshop Tourism”, where expenditures, energies and time spent far outweigh the real benefits to the children or other target groups.
The greatest irony is that majority of these meets are in five-star or three star resorts, where delegates sitting in AC rooms talk about poverty and trafficked victims. Incidentally, the amount spent on one cup of coffee in a five star resort can actually feed a child for two days. However, Sujay Pati from WISE, which has maximum number of meetings at five-star resorts argues, “What you are saying is ethically correct, but it is just not logical as we work with the hotel industry and holding meetings at five star resorts is a matter of convenience.”
Sources reveal that there is a sudden focus on trafficking in Goa because 3 million dollars has been sanctioned for Goa by UNIFEM. However, Archana Tamang, Chief, Women’s Human Rights and Human Security Unit rubbished it. “We have a small budget and have been trying to make optimum use of it by leveraging broad bases. Perhaps this is the reason why it looks like as though we have spent a lot of money in Goa,” said Tamang.
She added, “The figure sources have quoted is almost 5 times greater than our Goa Program budget”.
FLURRY OF WORKSHOPS
SINCE JUNE 2006: 12 + two training programme to sensitise police
TOPIC OF DISCUSSION: Trafficking of women and children and child rights
NGO’S ORGANSING IT: WISE, CRG, Sangath, Shaktivahini (Delhi based NGO), Bagla Natak and Childline.
(Article appeared in GT on Friday, September 1, 2006)
“The greatest irony is that majority of these meets are in five-star or three star resorts, where delegates sitting in AC rooms talk about poverty and trafficked victims. Incidentally, the amount spent on one cup of coffee in a five star resort can actually feed a child for two days. However, Sujay Pati from WISE, which has maximum number of meetings at five-star resorts argues, “What you are saying is ethically correct, but it is just not logical as we work with the hotel industry and holding meetings at five star resorts is a matter of convenience.”
Sources reveal that there is a sudden focus on trafficking in Goa because 3 million dollars has been sanctioned for Goa by UNIFEM. However, Archana Tamang, Chief, Women’s Human Rights and Human Security Unit rubbished it.”
Dear Preetu,
You’ve hit the nail on the head. I have zero faith in the honesty and integrity of NGOs and social workers in India, having seen them from close quarters. They are nothing but ancillary units for the business of politics. In Hindi, they say “Choli-Daaman ka saath” for the nexus between politicians and social workers (NGOs). Often people who want to join politics start off as “social-workers”. Becoming a politician is a natural progression for them. Such “social-workers” are always on the lookout for issues with which they can blackmail the politicians or big corporate houses. They would definitely be having an eye on their share of the pie of 3 million dollars. There is another saying in Hindi, “chor-chor mausere bhai”.
This country has gone to the dogs.
Cheers!
Navin
Is Goa really a paedophiles paradise? PREETU NAIR spoke to Women and Child Minister SUBHASH SHIRODKAR and Children’s Rights in Goa president NISHTHA DESAI to know the truth. While Desai believes that there are ‘not less than 100’ paedophiles operating in Goa, Shirodkar asks where is the data to prove this?
“Tracking paedophiles is not an NGO’s job but of investigating agencies”: Desai.
Interview with Nishta Desai, President , Children’s Rights Goa (CRG), INDIA
Q. In your book See the Evil you state, “there are not less than ‘hundreds’ of paedophiles operating in Goa in each tourist season”. How do you arrive at this figure?
A. It is ‘not less than 100’. This estimate was arrived at on the basis of a survey conducted; work in the field, cases reported to us, what community members say etc.
Q. In your recent book Child Sexual Abuse in Goa, you state that many paedophiles still come to Goa. With this knowledge in hand, what are you doing to track down the paedophiles?
A. CRG is primarily involved in prevention of CSA. For this we strive to empower children to protect themselves through our interaction with children. Our campaign against paedophilia and advocacy measures engages the community and the authorities, respectively. Apart from this, when we receive complaints, we verify details of the complaint and inform the police. We have said that when there has been grave suspicion against a travelling sex offender and for various reasons he/she has not been prosecuted, then such persons should be denied visas – as in the cases of Ernie Jean Francois, Allan Dow, John Middleton, Jorg Harry Ringelmann, etc. Tracking paedophiles is not the job of an NGO. We have neither the resources nor the authority to do it. This is the job of the investigating agencies.
Q. How many foreign paedophiles operate in Goa? And how does this “organised and already fairly institutionalised” network work in Goa?
A. I do not have a head count of paedophiles, only an estimate. My book See the Evil will answer this question.
Q. Women and Child Minister Subhash Shirodkar in a recent interview to BBC world service said that the issue of paedophilia is a little hyped and added, “NGOs are not complaining to me. What prevents them, when every week and every month, they meet me?” Have the NGO’s working with children failed to report the facts to the Minister in their urge to partner with the state to make child friendly policies?
A. I agree that the issue of paedophilia is hyped and have said so in various interviews, but significantly, media persons have failed to quote me on this. I have also said that this is NOT a Goa-specific problem but a problem that is prevalent in all major tourist destinations, which is also rarely quoted.
With regard to political will, it has to be seen in perspective. There was a time when there was outright denial on the part of the state that tourism related paedophilia in Goa was an issue. Today, it is acknowledged. What is required now is to invoke the provisions in Goa Children’s Act, 2003. For this we are working with the government, police, prosecution machinery, medico-legal fraternity and the community. Striving for child friendly policies has consistently been our endeavour. To have effective child protection mechanisms in place, it is essential for NGOs to work in partnership with government.
Q. Why has there been no conviction of paedophiles in the recent past? Besides the failure of the state machinery, doesn’t it also show the failure of NGOs working with children?
A. From the last two cases that came before the Children’s Court we learnt that there is the need for a witness protection programme to prevent witnesses turning hostile. This could be partly achieved by setting up of a Victims Assistance Unit. Having said this, every agency has a role to play in child protection. For example, when the media has reported cases of offenders operating, NGOs have asked the media to share information so that steps can be taken against the perpetrator, but the media hasn’t always cooperated. I think when it comes to child protection we all need to think of how we can be more effective in what we do. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
“It is NGOs duty to ensure that the problem is totally eradicated”: Shirodkar
Interview with Mr Subhash Shirodkar, Minister – Women and Child Department, Government of Goa, INDIA.
Q. Why do you say that the issue of paedophilia is a little hyped up in Goa?
A. Unless and until I see or hear about the cases of paedophilia and get it confirmed, why should I believe it? It is my nature, that I don’t believe anything –good or bad—just by hearsay. Moreover, where is the data to prove the claim? Of course, I have verified with the police department and there are few cases but they are not just cases of paedophilia.
Q. NGOs have been vocal about the problems of CSA to the press. It is surprising that they have never complained to you. Comment.
A. It is been 19 months since I took over as the Women and Child minister. No one has come and reported to me about a child or girl who is being exploited. If the traffickers and trafficked victims are operating in Goa, then they won’t just run away. They would be definitely operating repeatedly at the same spot. If the NGO’s have spotted such things they should come and tell me. I am always open to it. I can depute my people and also inform the police.
Q. Are you scared that if the government takes up the problem of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in a forthright manner, then the state could loose tourist revenue?
A. At what cost? At the cost of our own children! I shall be the last person to consider such an economic or financial statement that if we investigate we would loose tourist revenue.
Q. If you believe that CSA is not at all a problem in the state, then why did you encourage NGO’s to have consultations, meetings and workshops with Women and Child department officials?
A. To deal with problems of CSA and other problems of street children and commercial sexual exploitation we promote the NGOs. The problem has to be nipped in the bud to ensure a safe future for our children. This is the reason why we encourage the NGOs. NGOs need to be there. But I wouldn’t like to comment on the workshops and conferences carried out by the NGOs. I leave it to their judicious mind, for it is they who have to define what they want to do and accordingly function: just have workshops and conferences or really work.
Q. How would you define the role of an NGO? Does NGOs involved in prevention of CSA have an important role to play in tracking the abusers?
A. If at all they are an NGO with the principal of eradication of a problem (not just the problem of CSA), then it is their genuine duty to ensure that the problem is uprooted in its totality. Just to track a problem and then leave it to destiny, that’s not the way an NGO should function. What they start they should take it to the finish. It doesn’t matter if they identify one or two cases for it will expose what they call an “organised network which is institutionalized”. If the NGOs investigate properly with the help of investigating authorities then the “organised network which is institutionalized” will be exposed and the message will go across the society that CSA won’t tolerated in Goa.
Q. Do you agree with the manner in which NGO’s go about formulating policies to combat CSA and trafficking without proper study?
A. For the first time I am hearing that CSA in Goa is an “organised network which is institutionalized”. This argument is not true. I don’t say that just for the sake of saying, I mean it. We are encouraging policies to combat trafficking of persons to ensure that the problem is nipped in the bud. If we don’t bother about the issue and leave it to destiny then problems may arise. That shouldn’t happen. We want to ensure that Goa becomes a perfect child friendly state.
Q. Has Goa Children’s Act ensured justice to all children who are victims of sexual abuse?
A. No. There is still much to be done. Awareness amongst people and alertness amongst young generation has to be made. For the same we have set up the State Commission for Children. Moreover, Women and Child department will tie up with Education department to spread awareness about rights and duties of children.
(Article Appeared in Gomantak Times, Panaji edition, January 15,2006)
keep your hands off Goa. you freak, we have enough problem of our own
This is the basest crime ever committed – abusing children..it rips apart the whole psyche as the child goes on through his life..somewhere something is killed..Knw it Shekhar on such a personal level..Its filthy, horrendous and it sucks to see the perpetrators living around urself..What abt Goa beaches, this crime is committed in any normal Indian home,which is supposed to be safe haven and by the very ppl ur parents entrust you with..but silences are maintained with no care for an injured life.
Years ago, when i used to write short poems. this was part of my collection: it goes like this..
BETIYAAN
Beti hai ghar mein, tau aap dhanwaan hain;
Betiyan hamaare ghar ki shaan hain;
Bhai;
kuch khabar un baapon ki bhi lo, jinki betiyan jawaan hain.
Hi Shekhar,
I am an event management student studying in Goa. As a part of my dessertation i want to held a conference which will put a light on paedophilia in Goa. I approched to Childrens Rights Goa, and requested them to provide spokes person for the same. I am targeting School teachers and principals who will be invited for this conference.I need your help if you can provide some detailed information about cases happening in Goa, Bcoz i will be calling press conference and will be also inviting reporters for the same.
Hoping to get ur guidence, waiting for ur reply.
Rajani, I am living in London and was hoping taht someone in Goa itself would take up cudgels for this problem. Some one like yourself. Shekhar
It’s wonderful to see that so many persons are concerned about the problems faced by children in Goa. Dr Desai rightly mentions that the problem of paedophilia is not specific to Goa alone but has certainly been highlighted vis-a-vis the state in the recent years. This calls for a nationwide understanding and commitment to protecting children from all kinds of harm, including paedophilia, trafficking, forced labour, early marriage, physical and mental abuse in domestic servitude situations. All children are vulberable. Their vulnerabilities cut across economic, social and ethno-geographic realities. Another issue I’d like to raise here is that paedophilia is not connected to foreigh tourists or tourism alone. The very definition of the word articulates that it can be also a reality closer to home- in our households, in our communities and in places we perceive as “safe” for children. It needs to be addressed across the spectrum.
There are numerous organisations, individuals and groups of social change agents in Goa whose main concern is to make tourism safe for children. Many such groups are also working towards preserving the “niceness” of everything Goa stands for- its social fiber, its well-meaning people, its rich resources. In other words, they are also looking at Goa beyond tourism. more like looking inwards, introspecting, and discovering the strenghts that lie within the heart of every Goan. These are noble intentions. These are visions shared but perhaps articulated in different ways, so much conforming to the rich diversity that the state boasts of. This is a great opportunity in terms of people coming together for a common purpose. While
legislations and policies and codes will continue to dominate a major part of responses and intentions for the protection of children in Goa- Goan children, as well as those children who have either been trafficked or have migrated with their families or friends from neighbouring states- each individual will have to come on board as partner and as an integral stakeholder and commit to creating environments safe and developmentally conducive for children in all settings- private and public.We never know where the problem will hit next. We have to protect ourselves from being caught by surprise.
I too love Goa- very much for the beauty that the state is endowed with and very much for the people who I have met during my visits and continue to meet elsewhere. I hope all the love and concern shown by individuals who have posted comments on your website will translate into commitments and in turn into positve change in the lives of all children in Goa and also in the country. Thank you, Mr Kapur!!
Hi Shekhar,
Am glad to see you taking up this issues and feeling so passionately about it.
I am a former Asian youth representative of ECPAT INTERNATIONAL, one of the global organisation fighting Child Sex Tourism globally since 1990’s.
Appreciate your concern, may be you could be in touch with ECPAT in UK and do something with them, as a large number of tourists incidently arrive from the UK itself.
Your celebrity status would really help a campaign like this globally..
Best
sangeet
sangeet.shirodkar@gmail.com
Thanks Sangeet, will try and do that, shekhar
In India more than 400,000 children per year are sold into prostitution, many as young as five. Each child is available for say seven years if they don’t get murdered or die of aids. This means that at any one time 2.8 million children are enslaved in prostitution. This is just a conservative estimate. It is absurd and self-deluding to claim that there are 2.8 million “foreigners” abusing these children! The real paedophiles are here, resident in India. At least 2 million Indian men are raping these children. Let’s face the facts, if a young man, full of male hormones, can’t get sex until he marries then he is likely to visit the brothels. Where do we find all these abused children? – in these brothels. Even the police use brothels and many choose children for sex. Married men hang out there too and take all the diseases home to their tolerant wives. I am tired of hearing how ‘western values’ on sex are invading India. Western countries do NOT have millions of children living in brothels, this is entirely a third world phenomenon, and must therefore be openly tolerated by the authorities here. Children can be seen selling sex on the beaches of Goa every single night, right under the noses of the corrupt police who then take a cut from their local pimps. India needs to clean up its act or the country will be overtaken by aids and millions of psychologically damaged people. The women of India need to develop a respect for their own sex, and start by educating their sons in decent morality. In a country where women abort and abandon their girl babies because of some antiquated idea that boys are somehow superior, how can we expect males to value these abused children. A change in attitude must be encouraged, and this must start with the mothers of the country who can influence their own children. Come on women, start a campaign to save ALL the children NOW!
I agree Marian, the intense amount of sexual abuse that exists in India is formidable. Man is accepted as a sexual dominator that women culturally accept. Women must be, through education and social help, given courage to make this idea unacceptable. My film Bandit Queen was about this.
But that does not detract from the fact that Goa is fast turning into an international paedophile paradise like Bangkok and Cambodia. In these circumstances the revenue that the providers of sex with children have can become large enough to be able to form large gangs. And in the worst circumstance, can afford pay off the police and other officials with large sums of money to allow them to continue their trade.
Shekhar
DELAYED JUSTICE – Chidren’s Court yet to dispose 56 cases
PANJIM: First the figures: Of the 83 cases in the Children’s Court, only 27 have been disposed off, while 56 cases are still pending. Of the 27 cases which were disposed off, 11 persons were acquitted, 5 convicted, 7 discharged due to lack of evidence and 4 transferred as it had happened much before the Goa Children’s Act 2003 came into force.
Now the fact: More than two years after the Children’s Court started functioning for the speedy trial and disposal of cases where children are victims, paedophiles, rapists, child killers and kidnappers still roam scot-free.
Though the state government under pressure from media and NGOs had started the Children’s Court in December 10, 2004 to ensure that every child has his/her childhood, it has not ensured that everything is in place in the Children’s Court.
“The problem of delayed justice continues even now. The whole aim of fast justice in the Children’s Court is far from achieved. The whole process is time consuming and it is a torture for the child, who is expected to come after two years before the Court and recollect everything and depose,” observed Arun Pandey, Director, ARZ, an NGO working with trafficked victims.
Arun is not talking without reason. He has three cases wherein minors have been abused pending in the Children’s Court since last 3 years. Two cases are of rape and one is of child labour. “Till now the victim have not been called for deposition nor have the witnesses statement taken by the Court. Witnesses are going to the Court, only to get a new date for deposition,” said Pandey.
Everyone agrees that so far there had been delay in delivering judgment as the cases were heard just once a week. But now with the Court sitting for three days a week instead of just one week, one just hopes that the Children’s Court becomes a decisive tool to protect the life and dignity of our children.
Even Advocate and Child activist Albertina Almeida said that it is better to have the Children’s Court thrice a week rather than just once a week. “But what I am more concerned about is the Court ambience, which is yet not sensitive enough or child friendly”, she said.
“Attention also needs to be given to the provisions in the Goa Children’s Act requiring a capacity development strategy for the training of judiciary so that they can be abreast with the developments in the Child rights law nationally and internationally,” added Albertina.
Total cases in the Children’s Court: 83
Cases disposed off: 27
Cases pending: 56
Persons acquitted: 11
Persons convicted: 5
Cases discharged: 7
Cases transferred: 4
(Article appeared in Gomantak Times, Panaji, 23 June 2007)
what laws are there to bring child sex offenders to book in india ; and as i stay in andhra pradesh any that u know
can u send me necessary information about what had happened in 2005
Hi Sekhar
Why don’t you people make a film about CSA India which is endemic and deeply rooted in the facbrics of Indian Society.It is NOT a crime if Uncle abuse young daughters and so called uncles are not far and few!.
Dirty Chocolate by Pinki Virani,Nithari Episode,Sahara to Satara Abduction and murder,Preet Mandir episodes and list endless.It is High Time to expose this deeply routed evils in Indian Families and its values.If Sati was a crime,CSA is bigger evil than that..
Go Sekhar Go..Let the whole world know myths of so called closely knit families in India.At least Foreign Airlines will STOP collecting funds for Child Line India which is nothing but a corrupt NGO.
It’s test.
I could’t post a message…
Hello Shekhar,
We have planned a family vacation to Goa this month. After the Scarlett case wanted to look up how safe Goa really is. Read the post on this site and it sickened me to see how such a beautiful place is being turned into nothing less than hell by these sickos. Pedophiles should be tattooed with the label on their foreheads according to me.
Goa might soon go Mexico way. With locals running an open market for pedophiles, what’s next…abduction of minors? Scares me to even think about it!!
I wanted to enjoy Goa with my daughter as I did with my parents. Now I’ll be thinking of how to protect her from strangers’ eyes!
The laidback attitude is not going to work anymore now. Locals as well as tourists nedd to make a firm stand against these practices.
Hello My dear Freinds/Mr. Shekhar.
Every place inside india is safe but some persons came here from those places who don’t know what they do with our guests. Even police & political persons know every thing what is happening in Goa. but they don’t care about these hapenings, because they want to make money. There are of lot of things which is hapening there but it is doing due to Police. If police will come on right way then there will be no Sex Abuse in Goa and police don’t like it, beacuse they take money from Government, that is why it is happening there if Government close the Monthly pay of Police and people want to give him for his security I think Goa will be safe for Tourists or Locals.
May God Help all Human beings from Wrong things, wether they are from different groups or different religions.
Wasalam
Mushtaq Hussain
CAN YOU HEAR MY SILENCE? is a 15 mt awareness film on child sexual abuse. i have produced and directed this film to focus your attention on the child sexual abuses in the domestic front. plz. mail me for the shows. i do not expect any financial returns for the screenings of this film.
just mail me on march18_us@yahoo.com
Hi All,
We have produced a music video on child sex tourism in goa, will release it soon in Goan local channels.
Lets hope this will create awareness on the same.
regards.
Child activists flayed over Scarlett case
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Drawing similarities between the Freddy Peats case and the alleged rape and murder of Scarlett Keeling in Goa, noted child activist Sheela Barse, said that in both cases the “so-called” child activists in Goa have remained silent, even as the victim was being victimized.
“Scarlett’s image was tarnished, but what had she done to deserve such a treatment. How can the child right’s activists allow such allegations to be made about the minor girl, when she is not around to defend herself. Don’t we have some concept of respecting the victim,” said Barse. She was in Goa to speak at a workshop on “Caring for the mentally challenged” at Goa University on Friday.
Scarlett was found dead under mysterious circumstances on Anjuna beach on February 18. First the Goa police dismissed it as drowning death, but later registered a case of rape and murder. However, as her mother Fiona Mackeown’s cry for justice grew louder, the allegations of Scarlett leading an easy life of men, booze and drugs spread like wildfire. However, throughout the whole episode, the child activists in Goa maintained complete silence.
Barse, who almost single handedly ensured justice for the abused children by getting paedophile Freddy Peats convicted, recollected that even when Peats case exposed the paedophile racket in Goa, many including some activists, tried to indulge in character assasination of the minor victims.
“To minimize the extent of crime, the accused pass the blame on the victim to restrict public outcry. Maligning Scarlett by stating that she had an easy lifestyle on the basis of what witnesses are saying is not correct. A minor child has been raped and murdered and how can the child activists remain silent on the issue,” questioned Barse.
“The situation is no different from what happened in 1991, when it was alleged that the minor boys who were exploited by Peats had become dull as they didn’t have the excitement of sexual experience anymore,” she said, blaming the “so-called” children’s activists in Goa for failing to get any paedophile convicted in the state. The only paedophile to be convicted in the state was Peats, while many others managed to escape scot-free due to lack of evidence or with witnesses turning hostile.
But then how many today have the conviction and commitment of Barse? Afterall, she is the woman, who on seeing the Peats’ case falter, had got the original chargesheet withdrawn and filed a fresh chargesheet in the case. “The greatest contradiction that I see amongst present group of child activists is that when a prostitute alleges rape, they stand up and state that her being a prostitute doesn’t mean that anyone can rape her without consent but they are silent when an ordinary minor is raped and murdered”.
She added, “Background of the person is irrelevant to the crime. Every child has their rights and the child activists need to ensure that their rights are protected”.
2008 May 19 Times Of India Goa
hi shekhar
it seems to be that in Goa everyone is aware of this serious issues but it is taken for granted. anway with good even u have to take the bad things but we can really eliminate the bad if our attitude is good
I’m amzazed at how female peadophilia never gets any media spotlight focused on it when female sexual expolition clearly goes on
Hi Shekhar, I am a new visitor to your blog and am shocked and surprised to hear the news and comments by various people on the child sex trade in Goa and that Goa beaches have become a haven for pedophilic tourists.
Another aspect is that children in brothels are subjected to growth enhancement treatment.
One positive thing that has emerged is at least the attention is being drawn to the issue though with dubious solution. The first case is pedophilia alone. Pedophile has a definite interest in children that may range from few months old to prepubescent children. Pedophiles lose interest on their victim when the child reaches puberty whereas Hebephiles have a definite attraction for pubescent children. The hormone feeding behaviour targets the hebephile clients who are attracted to adolescents. So we are dealing with two different sets of sex offenders who target children -both dangerous.
I found Marian D’Zouza’s message dated 12 April 2007 and Preetu Nair’s of June 21, 2008 very pertinent.
Goa has certainly brought the issue to the forefront. But are we that deaf, mute and blind that we ignore that pedophilia has existed and continues to do so not only in rest of India and the world. What do you think of the devdasi system? Have we forgotten the movie “Giddh’? The predators need not necessarily be tourists, though in Goa such is the case. What about the countless swimming pool in charge, relatives, caregivers, care takers of school, shop keepers, people in the position of trust like coaches, teachers, nurses and doctors? Don’t tell me these people do not have the opportunity or penchant -I know this issue will bring out protests in the blog. I have first hand information on these. Many victims have remained silent, however, it does not negate the fact that people in the position of trust in India as well as rest of the world HAVE and continue to violate their position of trust. When the fence starts to feed on the crop it is supposed to safeguard, what can be the end result? Mutilated crops, dwarfed products -mutilated children, children with low self-esteem, anger, frustration and this could lead to dangerous end results. The disease is very deep rooted and widespread. In Goa, the festering boil has burst in the face of people and everyone appears to be scrambling to do what they can albeit at snail pace, given the speed of the Indian machinery. But there are boils festering all over India and the world. The momentum has to continue and media has an important role to play.
Blaming the victim as courting sexual favours and painting the victim in an unsavoury light are only defence tactics. When confronted with the court system and the cross examination, the scarred and scared victim avoid coming forward and hence most cases drop off in the court system. Truly the justice system is blind. Granted for a moment that a child seeks sexual gratification, the moment money transfers hands, the transaction changes to prostitution. Every sex offender and pedophile knows this. In cases where no money or article change hands, still the child should be exempt from finger pointing because a child being a child does not know better, but adults have a responsibility. Collectively, the society has a responsibility.
Shekhar, I supervise offenders in general and some sex offenders in particular, in the community. Once the crime is reported and proved in the court and punished, the supervision is stringent in Canada and the US.
Both the US and Canada have The Sex Offender Registry, that came into force after two case laws –Megan’s Law in the US and Christopher’s Law in Canada –both Megan and Christopher were child victims. Under Christopher’s Law in Canada, a sex offender, after conviction and subsequent release from an institution has to register with the Sex Offender Registry in their area of location. The information records all details about the offender, including, the name, age, address and telephone no. of the offender. This information will go into the National Registry so all police divisions across the country can access the information. Sex offenders are required to update their information on a yearly basis some for 10 years, while others for life. They cannot move from one area to another without advising the respective police division. If they do, a warrant will be issued for their arrest.
Information about a sex offender, especially a pedophile, after he is released from the prison system has to be advised to the victim and the public. The public have the right to know the date of release, tentative area of location of the offender. The newspapers blast the information and the public can voice their concern and objection regarding the pedophile residing in their area of residence. The pedophiles are always on the run, chased by the public, watched by the police and supervised by officers in the community. They are all required attend Sex Offender Relapse Program and a strict and comprehensive assessment that may include phalometric testing and any concurrent disorder in order to assess the arousal factors and other mental health issues. Despite all these policies and procedure, the behaviour and the number of sex offenders are on the rise.
I hope the legal system in India makes a case law after the young victims like Scarlett Keeling and the local pedophiles are never allowed to rest in peace. For employment purposes, there should be criminal check in place. All those who are in the position of trust should be scrutinised for criminal record, if such a system exists. But knowing the India, however much I love the country, every new position is a potential opportunity for corruption. -Vanmala
Hi Shekhar,
I am a member of Asha NJ/NY USA. I am currently in India. I was looking for contact with ARZ GOA to submit a project proposal for fund raising. Suprising enough, I haven’t found any leads to get in touch with them.
I know this is a sudden request to a person of your stature. But as a citizen and a close affiliate to the state of GOA I would like to request your help in bringing this issue to world front.
If you’ve worked or know of any organisation in Goa working with education and support to children in trafficking situation or otherwise, please do let me know.
I appreciate your assistance and help with this.
Best Regards,
Shweta Aroskar
shweta, if u look at the comment from preetu nair in this blog – she may be able to help. Her blog is at :
http://goadourada.blogspot.com/
shekhar
Apna Ghar wards live in dismal conditions
108 Juveniles ‘Locked Up’ At The Home; Water, Beds Scarce
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: Children, whether in conflict with law or in need of care and shelter are “lockedup” at the government run children’s home — Apna Ghar, where conditions are pitiable.
On a visit to Apna Ghar, TOI discovered 108 children, 56 of them girls, “rescued” from various situations. Ten of the boys were juveniles in conflict with the law.
A stink greets any visitor to the building, the reason being the lack of adequate water. The toilet doors are broken and the urinals have water up to ankle level.
This was taken up by the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR). “We have written to the minister of women and child development regarding the condition of the rooms and brought to his notice that the toilet is unhygenic and the water supply erratic. We have demanded that they install grills for the windows, so that the children don’t escape,” said GSCPCR chairperson Sameera Kazi.
“We are repairing the main water tank and improving the other facilities. We are trying to give them a safe environment in the best possible way,” said Sanjiv Gadkar, director of women and child development.
“Apna Ghar is like a prison and not a reformation home. It is a jail from which small time juveniles leave as big time criminals,” alleges juvenile justice board member Snehalata Bhatikar.
However, Gadkar denied this saying, “It is not correct to call it a jail as we don’t keep the juveniles in a closed room. We have to keep them lockedup as they break window panes and destroy everything in their vicinity if left in the open. There is also a toddler section. Who will bear responsibility if any harm is caused to them?”
Boys in conflict with the law and those in need of care are “locked-up” in separate rooms. This comprises a fan in working condition albeit without proper beds. All the girls, on the other hand, are housed in a single room.
The switchboard in the room where lads in conflict with the law are put up, is broken with wires dangling. The broken window panes are the work of, “the children themselves”, reveal authorities.
Gadkar said, “It is difficult to control so many children. If we don’t deter them from the wrong path now, it’s an open invitation for them to do whatever they want in the future. We definitely don’t want them to regress to their previous situations.”
Bhatikar, however, begged to differ. She said, “There are no facilities to improve their present or future whereby they can be gainfully employed.” In fact, the only activity for the children is an hour of games every evening and if they desire, they are taught pottery or needle work.
October 22, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
APNA GHAR BLUES
‘Lack of counselling cause of violence’
Preetu Nair | TNN
Panaji: A 17-year-old boy was admitted to the Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (IPHB) after he broke the window panes and tube-lights of his room at Apna Ghar, the state’s juvenile remand home at Ribandar.
The staff at the remand home justified the transfer on grounds that the youngster had a “violent” character. He went on the rampage after he wasn’t allowed to watch television.
At the IPHB, doctors diagnosed the youngster’s behaviour as merely a case of “conduct disorder” (triggered by immediate circumstances) rather than one of violence.
The youngster’s case isn’t a one-off.
Doctors at the IPHB say juveniles are repeatedly referred to the institute. “Once in two months, one or two juveniles from Apna Ghar are admitted here. A majority of them suffer from conduct disorders, as they are street children who are not exposed to proper care and shelter,” says IPHB medical superintendent B S Cuncoliencar.
At Apna Ghar, Juvenile Justice Board member Snehlata Bhatikar says delinquents go through tremendous trauma at the remand home as there is no counsellor at the campus to talk to and understand their apprehensions and anxiety.
“Besides, the approach of the staff being punitive, they ill-treat them. This drives the juvenile into a rebellious stage where they break gadgets and windows. Children learn to blackmail and when that fails, they rebel,” adds Bhatikar.
Explaining the reasons for such behaviour, Dr Nandita de Souza of Sethu Centre for Child Development and Family Guidance says, “Children misbehave either due to the development or emotional causes within them or due to the causes outside them such as family, home, friends, role models. Children want attention, power and control.”
Apart from this, some children also have addictions. “These children are often addicted to sniffing glue or drinking. The place where they are locked up only aggravates the situation as they are not provided with any skill or services for gainful employment once released,” says Arun Pandey, of NGO ARZ.
“The juveniles at Apna Ghar have no activity. They are allowed to play for just one hour everyday. They are not sent to school and spend most of the time in the prison-like room,”
says Bhatikar.
Director, Women and Child Development, Sanjiv Gadkar, says the government is aware of the problem and is working towards improving the situation.
The remand home presently has courses in craft, tailoring and clay modelling. Occasionally, a three-month course in cookery and baking is also taught.
“We are in talks with the Government Polytechnic College to start short-duration skillbased courses that will convince the children not to go back to their old ways,” assures Gadkar. These courses will include mobile repairs, data entry, making of novelty items, quilts, soft toys and coir articles and beautician courses.
October 23, 2008, The Times of India, Goa edition
Hello to all ! Greetings From Poland. very Good Page !
dear friends,
until unless we are strong by ourselves, clearing our own mistakes, then automatically we can enter into these situations without fear., because we are in the side of god.
not on one day it takes years to cure the hearts because this is linked with spirit by means of mind, and once anythink links to spirit, only a saint who has the power to cure the darkness around the spirit can only help.
contact manavdharam ashram for peace and for a better future
my no. 0091 9747791304
Ashram No. 009192823630882
Thank you
manoj