Panaji: In a scathing attack, the Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao on Thursday said that Goa government has failed to combat sex trafficking, which is bringing bad name to the state and demanded to block escort service websites fostering this trade.
Reacting to the statement of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over combating sex trafficking, Alemao said that the BJP government has totally failed to take action.
“There are hundreds of escort service websites providing services in Goa. They give their phone numbers and places where they can arrange this service. Despite this, the government has failed to take action against them and block them,” Alemao said.
“This brings a bad name to our rich cultured state. Our daughters and sisters can’t move out of the house in the evening in the north coastal belt. Recently a tourist passed lewd comments against a local girl from Calangute. They dare to behave unruly because these website projects Goa as a hub of escort service. Government needs to block them using a double engine, if they fail then they should not brag about the progress of information technology and crime detection,” Alemao said.
He recalled that Pramod Sawant had assured people of Goa in 2022 to take up the sex trafficking issue with the Central government as 93 per cent of such cases involve persons from other States.
“Earlier, Chief Minister had said that Sex trafficking will not be tolerated in Goa, and all possible efforts will be made to control sex trafficking in Goa. But as a Home Minister, he has failed to deal with this menace,” he said.
Alemao also charged that the government failed to take action on ‘male escort services’ which are run through a hush-hush network.
“In 2013, a Goa based journalist exposed such networks by sting operation. All the details of this operation, along with bank details of accused persons and phone numbers, were shared with the crime branch of Goa police. But so far nothing has happened. Officials fail to nab the accused persons running escort services in Goa,” he charged, adding the government should not take this issue lightly.
