Chief Min ister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that no escort service web sites are being operated from within the State. Replying to a calling at tention, Sawant said that many such online plat forms are fraudulent and are often used to cheat peo ple. He stated that the State government has directed the Goa Police to take strict action against websites that misuse Goa’s name to target individuals online. The Chief Minister said the police have so far blocked 512 escort-related websites. Cases have also been registered under the Information Technology Act and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, resulting in arrests and the rescue of several victims. Highlighting steps tak en to strengthen women’s safety, Sawant said the po lice have established wom en’s police stations and An ti-Human Trafficking Units across the State. In addi tion, dedicated help desks in Panjim and Margao pro vide round-the-clock assis tance and support to wom en in distress, he added. During the discussion, Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao urged the govern ment to intensify efforts to curb commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking involving women and chil dren. Carlos Ferreira, MLA from Aldona, observed that merely blocking websites may not solve the problem, as new platforms contin ue to emerge online. He suggested creating a spe cialised team to regularly monitor such websites and trace those responsible for operating them. “Just not block the web site but trace the source of the website and book those people. You will find a re curring pattern of the same people being involved again and again on different plat forms and under different names,” Ferreira said. Cruz Silva, MLA from Velim, also called for strict er enforcement against trafficking and sexual ex ploitation and proposed setting up a dedicated task force to tackle the issue more effectively. Altone D’Costa, MLA from Quepem, stressed the need to identify and dis mantle the main networks behind human trafficking, saying that focusing only on smaller cases would not be sufficient to eliminate the crime. “Police raids are okay but it is important to trace the main source and dismantle them. It is important be cause it is affecting us and creating a big problem,” he said. Vijai Sardesai, MLA from Fatorda, raised concerns about the growing number of spa establishments along Panjim’s 18 June Road, which he described as turn ing into “Spa Street.” He al leged that some of these businesses could be func tioning illegally and called for stronger regulation. “Do not take anything lightly. Spas need to be reg ulated. It cannot be allowed rampantly,” Sardesai said. Calangute MLA Michael Lobo warned that illegal activities linked to certain spas and escort-related operations could damage Goa’s reputation as a ma jor tourist destination. He urged the government to take decisive action to curb such scams and protect the image of the State’s tourism industry.
No escort sites operating within the State, says CM
