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Goa News Clips
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Goan Priests Find Many
Child Abuse Cases Happen In Their Own Homes
By Bosco de Souza Eremita PANAJI,
India (UCAN) -- Two Catholic priests who work with
children in Goa say about 45 percent of child-abuse cases they
have encountered in the western Indian state involve abuse
within the child's home.
http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=5804
January 25,2007
"Even if a girl is abused by her father, the daughter refrains
from informing her mother because she is confused whether what
daddy is doing is wrong," says Father Socorro Mendes, director
of Goa and Daman archdiocese's Family Service Centre. "She is
aware of the implications should she reveal it to her mother,
so she prefers to bear it silently in order to safeguard the
unity of her parents."
Salesian Father Arvind Severes, who directs Childline, a
Salesian-run NGO, has found that when children are abused,
often it is by someone known to them. In many cases, he says,
a father begins to makes sexual advances on his daughter after
his wife informs him that the girl has reached puberty.
In separate interviews with UCA News, the two priests said
about 45 percent of child-abuse cases reported to their
centers took place within the child's home.
When the offender is a neighbor, according to Father Severes,
the victim's parents often refrain from prosecution for fear
of tarnishing their own family's reputation. The parents also
fear possible reprisals from the accused, since they cannot be
sure the case would lead to conviction.
Another problem Father Severes cited is lack of support from
neighbors and relatives when the accused is a neighbor. In
some cases, he added, the victims complain only months after
the crime is committed, by which time evidence has been
destroyed.
The Salesian priest said he sometimes feels "pained and pushed
against the wall" when parents refuse to lodge a police
complaint. "Up to now, not a single person has come forward to
bring the issue to its logical end," he stated.
To combat this social evil, NGOs and Church organizations are
conducting, in schools, an awareness campaign on child rights.
Most child-abuse cases are unearthed at these programs, Father
Mendes said. Children "often wait till the talk is over," he
added, to "privately ask" whether they would become pregnant
if someone kissed them or fondled their sexual organs.
Another form of abuse is verbal, the priest continued. He
recalled several cases of drunken fathers discouraging
children from studying. Some break household items to
terrorize their children, he said.
Father Mendes also said child counselors hesitate to discuss
the issue with parents, as most of them would deny the cases
and perhaps torment the children later for disclosing "house
secrets" to others. Children reveal the cases at the awareness
program only after counselors promise not to tell their
parents, Father Mendes pointed out.
The diocesan priest said he plans to highlight this issue in
his archdiocese and suggest that children not be left in the
home unaccompanied, or allowed to sleep in a neighbor's house
or take joy rides with cousins or uncles.
The priests' findings add to the results of a 2005 study by
Child Rights in Goa. The secular NGO surveyed 1,140 children
and found that 96 percent of them reported being abused in one
form or another, sexual abuse in 45 percent of the cases. Most
abuse occurred in hotels, buses, beaches, homes and schools.
Amid reports of increasing cases of child abuse, the state in
2003 enacted the Goa Children's Act and a year later set up a
children's court. In 2005, the law was amended to categorize
sexual abuses -- grave sexual assault, sexual assault and
incest.
Grave sexual assault includes offences such as making children
pose for pornographic films, making children have sex with
each other and deliberately causing injury to the sexual
organs of a child.
Since the court was set up, the state has registered 140
cases, including 132 involving sexual abuse. However, N.
Desai, director of Child Rights in Goa, says the trials are
not child-friendly and often treat the victim as the accused.
In 1991, Goa unearthed a pedophile racket that Freddy Peats, a
71-year-old Eurasian, ran under the guise of a home for
destitute children. |
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Major Archbishop's
sudden death saddens Syro-Malankara Church
PATTOM, India (UCAN) --
The Catholic Church's youngest Oriental rite plunged into
sadness after its head, Major Archbishop Cyril Baselios, died
unexpectedly on Jan. 18.
http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=5683
January 19,2007
The 72-year-old major archbishop was hospitalized the previous
day following kidney-related complications, according to his
secretary, Father Varghese Kalayil. He suffered a heart attack
at 6:45 p.m. while taking a stroll in the hospital corridors
and died immediately, the priest told UCA News.
His Church is based in Kerala state, southern India, and the
major archbishop stayed in Pattom, a suburb of the state
capital, Thiruvananthapuram, 2,815 kilometers south of New
Delhi. |
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Remo honoured
 MAPUSA:
Goa's one and only Remo Fernandes, the 53 years young
Pop Sensation in English, Hindi, Konkani and Portuguese, with
a sprinkling of other languages, has been selected for the
award of the Padmashree at the hands of the President of
India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. It is a great honour for him
and for Goa on the 57th anniversary of Republic Day of the
Indian Union. Remo has been a pillar of support for Goan
causes. Whether it was the revival of the traditional Sao Joao
boat races alongside Alexyz on 24 June, 1992, or the movement
for the de-notification of the Regional Plan 2011 alongside
Dr.Oscar Rebello and others in December, 2006, Remo was there.
His songs have campaigned for responsible action against drug
abuse and promiscuity leading to HIV- AIDS. His half century
birthday was dedicated to creating awareness about SARS virus
and bird flu. In honouring Remo, an architect turned into a
singing social activist, the President of India honours all
those Goans who have made Goa their home by choice....although
they had other options and the wherewithal to be anywhere else
in the world. [Miguel Braganza] |
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I am no intellectual
type, says Remo
PANJIM,
Jan 27: When pop star Remo Fernandes woke up on
January 26, little did he realize that a pleasant surprise
awaited him. It was the 25 SMSes and the 30 missed calls on
his cell phone that alerted him on being selected for the
coveted Padma Shri award. Says the 53-year-old singer, “I was
emotional and tongue tied when I read that I had got the
national honour. I feel that I am not a typical Padma Shri
awardee type. I am not one of these serious intellectual
guys.” [H] |
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Death of Goa’s last
pristine frontier
CANACONA, Jan 28:
Twenty-five breathtaking sand coves that go as beaches, two
rivers, countless perennial natural water springs, a wild life
sanctuary, a wonderful mountainside, temples, churches and two
communities living in perfect harmony. Welcome to Canacona
talukas – a secret enclave on the south end of Goa which
spells calm. But the merging Canacona reveals a dreadful
reality that is spreading its tentacles slowly but surely and
bringing with it, not development and progress, but decay and
despair.
Today, Canacona is indeed on the tourist map of the world, not
for its natural heritage but for it star hotels and
naturopathy resorts and for the sun, sand, wine, women and
drugs that are a part of their hedonistic culture. Canacona is
in the news for illegal land deals, conversion of arable land
to non-agricultural uses, destruction of mangroves, pollution,
deforestation, liquor smuggling, wood smuggling, wild life and
turtle hunting, drug trafficking, prostitution, gambling,
AIDS, erosion of values, sex and extra-marital affairs and
unemployment. [Tony Martins, Herald] |
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A Passion for Languages
Goa has produced eminent sons in all the spheres of life, from
scientists to men of letters and in this unending array of
luminaries, Mons Rodolfo Dalgado is one of the most famous
Goans. Born in the tiny village of Assagao, in Bardez, in the
year 1855, Rodolfo Dalgado had the honour of having three
brothers who were equally famous in their chosen fields.
Gelasio and Patrocinio were doctors and Eduardo was a lawyer.
After having studied French, Portuguese, Latin and Philosophy
at Mapusa, Rodolfo joined the seminary of Rachol and was
ordained priest in 1881, after having successfully passed this
exams with flying colours and topping the merit list. He said
his first mass at the chapel of Monte de Guirim in Bardez.
Mons Dalgado took a keen interest in the Konkani Language, his
mother tongue, during his student days and he took a lot of
pains to compile a Konkani dictionary to help his colleagues….
And, wherever he went, he studied the local language. That is
how he ended up studying Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Sinhalese,
Bengali and even Sanskrit which enabled him to delve deep into
his mother tongue Konkani and conclude that Konkani was a
branch of Sanskrit. [Maria de Lourdes Bravo da Costa Rodrigues,
WE-GT] |
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Parrikar urges
govt to take people into confidence on multi-crore projects
 PANAJI,
Jan 24: Expressing
concern that multi-crore projects like 6-lane expressway,
monorail and others would mar Goa, the leader of the
opposition, Mr Manohar Parrikar, today urged the government to
take the people of Goa into confidence while finalising such
projects in the state. He also urged the government to either
“rescind” the Regional Plan 2011 in totality, or denotify it
after effecting changes to the Town and Country Planning Act
in consultation with expert legal advisors. He said projects
like the 6-lane expressway and skybus are not good for Goa.
[NT] |
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DUBAI WILL PURPLE RAIN
ON 15TH FEBRUARY 2007
DUBAI: Purple Rain the
top dance band from Goa will fly in Dubai to perform once
again in ASTORIA HOTEL, Banquet Hall on 15th February 2007
(Thursday) to mark the double celebration of CARNIVAL DE GOA
AND VALENTINE NITE 2007, which falls on the same day. Listen
to the latest music of Purple Rain. Goa’s top DJ JOEL will
also fly with the group with his latest Hindi and English pop
music. At present Joel is full time DJ with TITOS (Mambos) in
Calangute, Goa, world famous and hot Disco joint. Last year
the show was fully packed with 450 crowds. The tickets were
sold one week before. To avoid disappointment, the organizers,
UNITED FRIENDS, request the people to book their tickets well
in advance. Fancy Dress competition, Floats and the King Momo
Parade will be the main attraction of the show. If you are not
interested in going to Goa or Brazil to enjoy the Carnival,
then be in Astoria Hotel. For more details: 050-7454708 and
050-6468266 |
Goan Voice designed and compiled by
Demerg Systems India for
Silverline Technologies Ltd.,
Campal Trade Centre, Next to Military Hospital, Campal,
Panjim, Goa-403001
Tel: +91 832 2420797 Email:
info@goanvoice.ca
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