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TOURISM-RELATED PAEDOPHILIA, GOA PAYS THE PRICE OF TURNING A BLIND EYE By Jan Ugahi Team [EMAIL PROTECTED] ITALIAN RAPE ACCUSED IN POLICE CUSTODY: The Italian national, Lazinni Georgio, 56, arrested by the Colva police, on charges of raping a minor girl, has been remanded to 10 days' police custody on November 21. (Gomantak Times, November 22, 2004) Giorgio Lazzini's has been reported as just another child sexual abuse case. But, to us, who have been tracking his moves for nearly two years, he is a professional tourist paedophile who projects the facade of a businessman but infact is a brutish paedophile. He probably holds a business visa (or else how could he operate a fishing boat business?) which has become a licence for him to prey around like a wolf in sheep's clothing devouring vulnerable child victims and violating their innocence and dignity. Even Ringleman and others did similar things -- get hold of a business visa and assume the licence to do their heinous deeds. Lazzini's 20 year old maid and abettor has been with him for 10 years. Surely she is one of those violated victims who has turned procurer today like others before her. His interests are clear. His maid of 20 years is past her age to satisfy his carnal desires. He wants younger children to satisfy his lust and uses his maid to procure them for him. Again, a common modus operandi of paedophiles. We are aware of other paedophiles who have local contacts and brokers, some of whom were their previous victims or partners and use them to procure their child victims. The modus operandi of these professional paedophiles provides enough substance for consideration for the public at large and the State in particular. How is it that business visas are provided to these hoodlums without properly ascertaining their credentials? Who are those colluding with and abetting these paedophiles in helping them establish themselves? It would be very important at this stage to investigate all the connections and networks of Lazzini and others like him so as to prevent other children from being desecrated. Or are we going to treat every case of abuse as an isolated case and forget that a larger paedophilia issue is howering over Goa with a whole support network that allows them to operate? Medical evidence is stongly corroborating the case of the complainant and therefore by itself favouring the prosecution of paedophile Giorgio Lazzini. That is because Jan Ugahi acted fast in getting the girl to disclose all the happenings and proceeded with the case immediately with the police, medical examination et al. What also helped us was our approach of sensitizing the poor vulnerable children about sexual abuse, how to prevent and report matters when they are under threat or abused. It was this awareness that brought the girl to Jan Ugahi to report the happenings. While in the above case the medical evidence is corroborative, questions needs to be raised: What if the medical evidence is destroyed or unavailable? Should the culprit be allowed to go scot free as has happened in other cases, such as that of Middleton Colin John? In the case of Middleton Colin John, which we pursued earlier, there was no medical evidence available but there were other strong prima facie and circumstancial evidences that would have corroborated the case if the police really had the will. This included the the fact that Middleton Colin John was with three minor boys whom he had trafficked from Nepal; that he operated under a dual-identity Middleton Colin John in the passport and Steven King in Bank of India account at its Margao branch; having convictions and serving sentences in New Zealand for sodomy; the presence of Avison Paul, a suspected paedophile, in Middleton Colin John's hotel room and his bag kept in the room of the boys implying that he was going to park with the boys for the night and so on. Other events related below will also corroborate the lackadaisical attitude of the Goa police in handling the case of paedophile Middleton Colin John. Middleton Colin John was granted conditional bail on March 22, 2001 and not permitted to leave the country. On August 6, 2001 he moved the court for the release of his passport which was first not granted as Jan Ugahi intervened, but later he appealed before the Sessions Court and an order was passed for release of passport. We had then demanded that the case be transferred to CID (Criminal Investigation Department) Crime Branch as the investigations were as good as suspended for reasons best known to the police. Our demand was accepted and NGOs were being taken into confidence. But while talks were on, we were not informed that Middleton Colin John had already appealed to the Sessions Court for release of his passport. So, despite the fact that we were taken into confidence, factual information was hidden. And, as if to rub salt into the wounds of an non-governmental organisation -- Jan Ugahi that was struggling to fight the sexual exploitation of tourism-related paedophilia -- the very day we were having talks with Superintendent of Police-Crime, the order was passed to release the passport of Middleton Colin John. Thereafter, Jan Ugahi received a letter dated February 6, 2002 saying that the case was being shelved for lack of evidence. On July 29, 2004, Jan Ugahi received another letter for the closure of the case simply because the procedure requires that the complainant be intimated before a case is closed. The police did not think it necessary to contact us on the matter, never mind the proposal for what senior officials call 'NGO and Police Integration' in tackling problems facing the weak in this region. This case is to come up on November 26, 2004, and even today when the police have been provided with documents of his earlier convictions and sentences in New Zealand, the say of the police is for closure of the case. The reason being cited is a lack of evidence. But infact, vital evidence has been lost as the investigation was delayed and not conducted in a proper manner. Then, take the case of Ringleman (exposed largely by the Tehelka investigation team in the monsoons of 2004). He lived with a minor 'adopted' child. The Tehelka sting operation exposed him as a clear case of paedophilia. The documents of adoption are illegal. The deed has no order passed by a Court for Adoption. The minor with Ringleman was reportedly moving freely with a bike. Where and why did she roam with the bike? Wzhat was the activity for which she needed a bike? Did she have a licence? Our traffic rules clearly state that a person below the age of 16 years cannot ride a non-geared bike also. She is only 14 years according to the reports. There are many other questions that need to be raised: Would anyone who adopted a child keep her semi-literate? Why was she not sent to a regular school? Did the police think it important to look into these questions that were only leading to a clear case of paedophilia and a modus operandi that would clearly stand exposed before a court of law? Ringleman was asked to leave the country. The State made it so easy for him to jump the justice system, even while leaving a trail of injustice for his 'wife' and 'adopted daughter'. He was'nt even tried for the case, even though he could have well been under several sections including Goa Children's Act -- which at least on paper makes tourism-related child sexual abuse a non-bailable offence. Even if the State did not accept these reasons to book him, what about his business that existed only on paper and was used as a cover to mask his real intentions and operations? Preventing tourism-related paedophilia -------------------------------------- Jan Ugahi, through its activities with vulnerable children and the booking of Giorgio Lazzini, is once again exposing yet another fallout of tourism and the lack of measures by the state to protect vulnerable children and prevent crimes of sexual abuse. Tourism-related paedophilia is growing enormously. The recently-passed Children's Act, despite all its plus points, is not being implemented and remains only a paper tiger with paedophiles operating openly as wolves in sheep's clothing taking cover under various facades. If our little ten-year old vulnerable victim had not known Jan Ugahi and reported the matter, probably Giorgio Lazzini would continue roaming the beaches of Goa endlessly, preying on innocent victims abetted by his procurers and support network. Today, when tourism is at its peak, what measures has the state taken to protect its children? Our experience in the case of Giorgio Lazzini is worthy of mention. When Jan Ugahi called the Margao Town Police Station to inform them about Giorgio Lazzini, there was no officer for attending the crimes against women and children and we were given to understand that all were on special duty for the Exposition, leaving the Police'zs concern and priority for the other important concerns exposed. Shouldn't such a measure be undertaken as a matter of priority when there is a rape, molestation or similar cases every other day and we are in the peak of another tourist season that is even more hyped with the Exposition and IFFI-04 (the International Film Festival of India, being held in Goa between November-December 2004)? Last but not the least, it is high time the State through its police investigates seriously the networks operating supporting paedophiles. The real abettors are still waiting to be exposed. -- JAN UGAHI is a Margao-based non-governmental organisation working to help deprived children in the area. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOANET-READER WELCOMES contributions from its readers, by way of essays, reviews, features and think-pieces. We share quality Goa-related writing among the 7000-strong readership of the Goanet/Goanet-news network of mailing lists. If you appreciated the thoughts expressed above, please send in your feedback to the writer. Our writers write -- or share what they have written -- pro bono, and deserve hearing back from those who appreciate their work. GoanetReader welcomes your feedback at [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goanet, 1994-2004. 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