PANJIM: The dastardly attack and murder of senior citizen Trinidade Martins 80, from Varca, has shocked not only the whole of Salcete but the entire state. How could a murderer walk into a house at 7 to 8 pm and kill someone in cold blood, when Goan villages are known to be closely knit communities? This calls for urgent measures from govt and from the neighborhood groups to look after the security of senior citizens.
Senior citizens who live alone are most vulnerable to violence and crime, since they are soft targets. Generally, the victims are known to the assassins, who also know about their financial dealings and assets. But in Goa the migration of children to Europe makes senior citizens most vulnerable.
Often the seniors depend on labour and domestic help for their wellbeing. Often, they are victims of crime due to their property and assets. Govt has to take some vital measures to ensure that the police force or neighbourhood teams keep watch on senior citizens. These teams should cater to the wellbeing of senior citizens and help them, when in need, even in daily tasks, which become laborious at an advanced age.
Senior Citizen Branca Miranda said she was “shell shocked to hear about the tragedy and the brutal murder of senior citizen Trinidade Martins of Varca. I myself am a senior citizen who is 76 years old. I myself feel insecure. I’m frightened too since I’m staying alone. I’m wondering in what way we can secure our safety.”
Despite being in Goa, Branca feels very vulnerable. She says, “I feel it is not safe to stay alone because there are a lot of elements, lots of tourists and migrants who stare at us and we don’t know the intentions. They can easily find out who is staying alone and they can plan to murder any person who is living alone and who has no support.”
“In this area, (the Latin quarter of Panjim) we feel secure since this is a very friendly neighbourhood and the houses are very close by. Still, I feel we could take some precautions so that nobody will take advantage of us. I wish the government could do something. And senior citizens themselves should register themselves with the police and say they would like the police to do something for our safety. Police should pay us visits to find out whether we are safe and we want any help from them,” Branca suggested.
Another senior citizen Agnelo Pereira said, “Police should register people who are staying alone. Police should conduct more police patrolling and install CCTV cameras, where senior citizens stay and ensure that they are in working condition.”
According senior citizen Goretti Pereira, police should be more proactive and give round to see that seniors are safe. “We need somebody for support. Government should look into this issue of senior citizens security. Night patrolling should be done. We are just frightened,” Goretti lamented.
Rohini Gonsalves, of Sevarat Healthcare and Nursing Pvt Ltd said it is very distressing to see what happened to the octogenarian from Varca. The primary responsibility of looking after him rests with the family. “While we respect the decision of the elderly to live independently, it is also important for us to check on them more frequently and be around them. We should be about a shout away, in an ideal situation,” Rohini said.
“But I understand that it is difficult for parents and children to live close by, so neighbourhoods should make a deliberate attempt to check on the safety of senior citizens, their wellbeing also from the health perspective. The government also needs to make sure that police patrolling happens, where they make a concerted effort to go and see the elderly and check on them all the time,” Rohini suggested.
Finally besides community policing, senior citizens should have access to helpline numbers 1090 is the number for the police, 14567 is the helpline for all other matters including legal aid and health care facilities for the elderly.
“There is need to create awareness, sensitivity from the family and police patrolling,” Rohini said.
