Ask anyone what is their favorite tourist destination in India and most will say Goa. Yes, Goa is beautiful, with its gorgeous beaches that line the beautiful Arabian Sea. People are mostly friendly here and food and drink is plenty with all the little beach shacks lining the beaches. Watersports are also in abundance. All this makes for a pleasant picture. But, Goa is also gaining a murky reputation. Drugs run rampant, especially in North Goa. And now even prostitution has reached new heights. Now it all runs on the Internet in the form of escort service websites. And given how it has grown in the last few years, the government now plans to crack down and shut them down for good.
Escort service websites need to be shut down
Yesterday, the Governor of Goa, Mridula Sinha, convened a much-needed meeting for this exact reason. The idea behind it was to come up with a proper action plan against these escort service websites. Such websites are allegedly currently operating in Goa and are known to be luring young college and university students into the flesh trade.
Earlier last month, the Goa Women’s Forum had written to the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of Goa University, as well as Vice-Chancellor Prof Varun Sahni alleging that escort service websites offer college girls and housewives for flesh trade.
Soon after receiving this letter, the Governor called for a meeting on the subject. The same was held yesterday, Wednesday, 14th March at Raj Bhavan.
The attendees were people of high importance. These included the Chief Secretary, the Director General of Police, the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar of Goa University, the information technology secretary, the director of women and child development and Arun Pandey of Anyay Rahit Zindagi amongst others.
Anticipating a good outcome of the meeting
The Goa Women’s Forum feels that a viable and effective plan will come from the meeting.
Speaking to the Navhind Times, GWF convener Lorna Fernandes said, “The GWF had also appealed to the Governor as Chancellor of Goa University to take a bold decision and make the Goa government do all that is required in law to shut down these escort service websites which are openly promoting sex tourism in Goa by portraying Goa University and college girl students as call girls.”
Information credit – The Navhind Times
ITSGoa/MAR/KDGP
