SHYAM ZAMBAULIKERGoa’s children are facing an alarming threat of sexual abuse and violence, with a series of disturbing cases involving minors re ported across the State in just six weeks. From tod dlers allegedly subjected to sexual violence to school girls allegedly molested over several years, the incidents expose vulnerabilities in the systems meant to protect children. The concerns have ac quired even greater urgency following the shocking alle gation that a serving Police Inspector attached to the Crime Branch sexually as saulted a 16-year-old girl in side its Ribandar office. The allegation, involving an of ficer entrusted with enforc ing the law, has raised dis turbing questions about the safety of minors even within premises meant to uphold it. In one of the most disturb ing cases reported recently, a three-and-a-half-year-old girl allegedly suffered burn injuries to her private partsafter a man applied a burn ing candle to her follow ing an incident at his resi dence. The offence, which falls under the jurisdiction of Colva police station, re portedly came to light five to six days after it occurred. Police arrested the ac cused, identified as Hazrat Ali Mehabub Saab Kalkeri, and the court remanded him to four days of police custody. In another case, Verna police registered an offence against a 32-year-old conductor of a Balrath school bus fol lowing allegations that he had molested several minor girl students of Classes V to VII over several years. The alleged incidents reportedly came to light during counselling ses sions at the school. Police have issued a notice under Sec tion 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), directing the accused to appear for recording his state ment. No arrest has been made so far. The vulnerability of children beyond the immediate school environment has also been highlighted by cases in volving alleged physical and sexual violence. Quepem po lice arrested a resident of Movati Bhat for allegedly assault ing a minor boy with a wooden stick, allowing his dog to attack the child and threatening the victim and his friends following a dispute between two groups of boys near Bhat Football Ground. In a separate case, Cuncolim police arrested a resident of Banda, Assolna, for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor boy on two occasions and threatening him against disclos ing the incidents. – Advertisement – If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source. The Goa Children’s Court remanded the accused to 14 days of judicial custody. Verna police have also registered an offence against a resident of Birla Cross, Cortalim, following allegations that he repeatedly sexually abused a minor girl between 2023 and September 2026. The accused allegedly threatened to kill the girl and abandon her in a jungle if she disclosed the abuse. The succession of cases has raised questions about whether existing child protection safeguards are translat ing into effective prevention, early detection and timely in tervention, or whether authorities are largely responding only after alleged offences have occurred. While the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and BNSS pro vide for stricter punishment, Zero FIRs, electronic report ing of complaints and safeguards during investigations, experts have stressed that legislation alone cannot ensure children’s safety without effective implementation, institu tional accountability and sensitised enforcement agencies. Sub-committee member of the Goa State Commission for Women, Adv Vidhata Dessai, expressed concern over the increasing instances of sexual abuse and harassment in volving women and minors, stressing the need for greater vigilance and collective responsibility. “There is a need for greater awareness, vigilance and collective responsibility. The increasing movement of peo ple into the State calls for proper verification, community awareness and effective implementation of safety meas ures, without discrimination against any community,” said Adv Dessai. Pointing to the role of families in preventing abuse, she said children’s safety must begin at home. With both par ents increasingly engaged in employment, children are sometimes left in the care of neighbours, relatives or other caregivers. “Parents must remain actively involved in their children’s lives, maintain open communication and ensure that those entrusted with their care are responsible and trustworthy,” she added. Adv Dessai also stressed the importance of strengthen ing family relationships, emotional bonding and mutual trust to prevent children and women from becoming vul nerable to exploitation. She said the Commission would recommend appropriate action to the concerned author ities, coordinate with relevant departments and monitor the implementation of safeguards for women and children. “Prevention is always better than punishment. We need to create an environment where every child feels safe and every survivor feels confident to seek justice. Protecting children is not the responsibility of one Commission alone; it is the responsibility of every citizen,” she said. Adv Anjali Salker E Naik, meanwhile, called for a more ac countable and responsive institutional approach, arguing that the focus must extend beyond stringent punishment to preventing offences and ensuring justice for survivors. “The government and law-enforcement agencies must ensure that legal provisions translate into effective action on the ground. There is a need for specialised and sensi tised police personnel, stronger child protection mecha nisms, better surveillance in vulnerable areas and regular awareness programmes in educational institutions,” Adv Naik said. She also called for stronger victim and witness protec tion, time-bound investigations and measures to reduce delays in trials. “We must also strengthen victim and witness protection, ensure time-bound investigations and reduce delays in tri als,” she added. Highlighting gaps in surveillance and compliance with child protection laws, Adv Tejasvini Shirodker said several locations, particularly in and around schools and workplac es, lacked adequate CCTV coverage. “Adequate CCTV surveillance is lacking in several places, particularly in and around schools. There is also concern over the lack of strict adherence to legal provisions such as Sections 19 and 21 of the POCSO Act,” she said. Creating awareness, ensuring easy access to legal aid and facilitating the filing of complaints were equally important, she said, calling for stronger preventive measures, effective monitoring of vulnerable areas and timely reporting of sus pected offences. In response to concerns over child safety, Maina-Cur torim police held an interaction with school counsellors, urging them to remain vigilant and promptly report sus pected cases of child abuse, substance abuse, suspicious ac tivities and other concerns that could put students at risk. PI Kapil Nayak, PSI Veronica Coutinho and other police personnel guided the counsellors on child protection and student safety.
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