TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: Blame it on sheer apathy towards women and child-related issues or simply indifference, these two cells of the Goa Police at the South Goa district police headquarters ~ Women and Child and Anti-Human Trafficking ~ have no officers to man their functioning.
Housed in a small room at the entrance to the staff quarters behind the district police headquarters, the women and child cell have been literally functioning sans a women police sub-inspector over the last one month and half. And, there’s no full-fledged officer to man the Anti-Human Trafficking cell too, with the in-charge of Maina-Curtorim police station holding additional charge for over a year and half now.
Herald inquiries have revealed that the women and child cell attached to the Margao police station has been without a woman police sub-inspector since the time incumbent officer, PSI Roopa Naik, was transferred after promotion. The department then posted PSI Vidya Pagi in place to PSI Roopa, but she is believed to have immediately proceeded on maternity leave. Sadly, the department has not posted any women PSI to head the Women and Child Cell till date, defeating the very purpose of creating this unit.
Says women and child rights activist, Auda Viegas: “The Margao women and child cell not only requires deployment of a women officer, but it should have a police inspector. I fail to understand why the government is dragging its feet to depute a women PSI to man the Margao women and child cell, especially when incidents of rape and sexual assaults have been on the rise in recent times.”
Viegas maintained that women’s issues, including incidents of rapes and sexual abuses, cannot be handled by male police officers and has to be dealt by only by female officers, trained and sensitised to address issues facing women.
As far as the anti-human trafficking cell, doubts are raised over its efficacy in the absence of a full-fledged police officer to overlook its functioning. Questions are asked whether the sub-ordinate staff are trained enough in intelligence gathering to keep a tab on human trafficking. “The cell has to basically gather intelligence on trafficking of women and children. Unless the staff is trained for the purpose, the cell would not serve any purpose. Mere deployment of women sub-ordinate staff will not help in achieving the objective,” remarked a police officer in the know.
Added Auda Viegas: “The anti-human trafficking cell has an important role to play in keeping a tab on trafficking of women and children. I want to know whether the Cell is maintaining an audit, to find out the nature of work put in by the staff. We are unaware of the work put in by the cell when Goa is a known destination for trafficking whether for domestic help or prostitution.”
As far as the anti-human trafficking cell, doubts are raised over its efficacy in the absence of a full-fledged police officer to overlook its functioning. Questions are asked whether the sub-ordinate staff are trained enough in intelligence gathering to check trafficking
