PANJIM: Urging the State government to take safety steps to protect women and children in Goa, Velim MLA Cruz Silva informed the House on Wednesday that as per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), around 13.13 lakh girls and women went missing across the country in the last three years between 2019 and 2021 out of which, 79 girls and 1,421 women (adults) were from Goa.
Replying to a starred question Chief Minister Pramod Sawant informed the members in the Goa Legislative Assembly that during the last three-and-half years, as many as 829 women and children were reported missing in the State of which 695 were traced while 134 were still missing.
Sawant claimed that maximum of those yet to be traced were adults and that there could be various reasons why they went missing.
“As maximum are adults, the issue has to be handled delicately,” he said. As per an answer tabled on the floor of the Rajya Sabha on July 26, 2023, a total of 1,550 women and children (1,471 women and 79 children) went missing in Goa in two years from 2019 to 2021.
The Chief Minister assured the House that the government will consider stationing Pink Police Force at crowded places like bus stations, ferry points, etc and consider deputing special Pink Force for coastal areas.
The MLAs urged the government to provide more pink police personnel and pink vehicles and to replace male drivers driving pink vehicles by female drivers. There are currently 11 pink vehicles covering all areas sub-division wise across the State even as the government has concentrated more in coastal areas.
Sawant said that since 2021, as many as 533 cases of crimes against women were registered in the State.
The Chief Minister also assured Members to replace 27 male drivers working in the Pink Force for the comfort of victims.
