[Goanet] Re: POLICE MATTERS.
| Domnic Fernandes continues (Part II) his reminiscence of | | Mapusa of the 1950s| | | | http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=Newsamp;file=articleamp;sid=426 | In response to Gabriel's mail, think its true.. unfortunately that the Goverment is sleeping on the issue.. As with most cases before, these incidents get relegated to merely figures in statistics.. Its incredibly sad that ,though, this is a blatant cry for help, instead of investigating the causative factors of incidents such as these, the Goverment is more intent on turning a Nelson's eye to it, in the hope that ,with the passage of a sufficient amount of time, this case will be forgotten... And forgotten it will be.. until it happens again ! Although it has been suggested that stress management classes be set up , they've been negated due to the supposed lack of finances by the Govt... I dont know about there being any Police Union.. but if there isnt , there should be one !! Its about time the Goverment is taken to task for it apathy ... Or are they waiting for the next case in order to realize that the matter does warrant some drastic measures to be taken ??? Dr Beverley de Sequeira. _ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)
[Goanet] Shocking Suicide.
In another shocking incident, a police constable , unable to cope up with life allegedly turned his service rifle on on himself and shot himself to death in the upper KG class in the Mary Immaculate High School in Panjim . The suicide is said to have been committed at approximately 10.15 pm, however the body of the constable was only discovered the next morning at 6:45am, by the school watchman, who then immediately informed the principal Sr Florence.. According to reports, the 28 yr old constable, Vaibhav Vaigankar picked up his .303 service rifle, rested the handle on the wall and thrust its muzzle onto his chest.. a wooden stick for the panel of the wall was used to pull the trigger.. Viabhav, was attached to the Bicholim police , but was posted in the North District Reserve Line Force and was on duty , guarding the std XII examination papers at the evaluation centre.. He left behind two notes, one to his parents and the other to his brother-in-law, citing his reason for the suicide as being a failure and and the fact that he was lonely.. According to experts, though police are under a enormous amount of stress considering their long duty hours and having to handle people with difficult behaviour, instances of police going beserk and killing either themselves or their colleagues are relatively rare.. However, physical ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, gravely increasing stress levels as well as Depression are considerably on the rise in Goa... Infact due to unawareness, many individuals are not even aware that they suffer form clinical depression..And hence never seek treatment for it.. In the year 2004-2005, the Psychiatric Society of Goa suggested that the Goverment, introduce stress management courses to people in goverment jobs. The State goverment rejected it due to lack of finance.. Guess the money were required for more important things ,such a filling our politicians pockets Dr Beverley de Sequeira. _ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: %(user_optionsurl)s This email sent to %(user_address)s
[Goanet] Re : HIV Test to be made mandatary for marriage registration in Goa
I do agree with Ms Carvalho that making the HIV Test mandatory is an invasion of one's privacy.. But however, one has seriously consider that in doing so , numerous innocent lives will be spared the anguish unfairly inficted upon them in unwittingly contracting the disease from a infected spouse.. Have personally , in the course of practise, had a few patients who contracted the disease, unsuspectingly from their spouses.. Infact one paticular case involved a 25 yr old young woman, who agreed to an arranged marriage, contracted HIV from her husband , who expired from AIDS when she was 4 months pregnant.. She however continued the pregnancy and since at the time there was no Prevention from Parent to Child programme(PPCTC), she breast -fed her child, and it was only later that both mother and child tested positive for the HIV virus Social stigma followed and she is now homeless having been thrown out by her in-laws. At the very least , if the HIV Test isnt made mandatory , there should be a programme that motivates couples to undergo the test.. since it is in their best interest, i feel most will gladly agree.. Despite medical advances and now the free availibility of ART, there is still a lack of a complete cure for AIDS.. Better safe than sorry , right ?? Dr Beverley De Sequeira.. Dona Paula.
[Goanet] Re: Hideous price of a roof over their heads....
It was absolutely shocking to read of the nefarious activities that occured in Duncan Grant's Anchorage Shelter as stated by Mr A. D'souza. Of all the crimes committed against children, , the sexual abuse of a child ranks number one as the most abhorrent...Unfortunatley its also ranks highest as one of the crimes that most adults simply refuse to acknowledge or ignore ..Statistics have also proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the perpetrator is usually an adult in the position of trust.. Lats face it.. .. Child sexual abuse happens because we allow it to happen, unwittingly though.. Children, both male and female are equally at risk and most often this execrable crimes go unpunished because parents and society at large, dont want to face up to the harsh cold reality of it becasue of the sheer shock and revulsion.. Goa has recently gotten the rather dubious distinction of it having emerged here first.. and its an abyssmal trade which is flourishing , thanks to the apathy and lack of opposition of us Goans as well as the goverment.. Ignore it as we may, Paedophilia has become a well syndicated and globally definied network with alarmingly large numbers of Paedophiles seeking out Goa as a safe haven, inorder for them to carry out these heinous activities.. Infact these individuals have already constructed theoretical formulations that pose Paedophilia as an alternative sexual preference or orientation, despite it being universally accepted as a perverse and deviant form of behaviour .. They also firmly believe that the ' restrictive sexual norms and regulations laid down by society will inadvertantly lead to the stunting and hampering a child sexual maturity... can any thinking be more abhorrent ? Its also true that most Paedophiles now prefer India and more specifically Goa, over previously preferred destinations such as Bangkok and other South East Asian countries, because of the stringent laws prevalent there as well as the growing incidence of AIDS .. The problem with us here is that we've still not woken up to how enormous a threat Paedophilia in Goa is... Every child , irrespective of social status or creed deserves the right to a life of dignity, the right to joy and laughter and all the simple pleasures that come with childhood.. To deny a child that is to take away the most intrinsic part of them .. their soul ! And for us to keep turning a Nelson eye to this scourge is criminal and to further confirm exactly how dehumanized we've become as a society.. We need to protect every child, especailly those who dont have any social voice because each child is undeniably precious !!. Dr Beverley de Sequeira. Dona Paula. Goa.
[Goanet] Brutal murder of Fr Ferrao.
The ghastly incident where Fr Eusebio Ferrao was brutally murdered in Macazana was utterly shocking and distressing to say the least. What is completely baffling is the mystery that surrounds the murder of Fr Eusebio. Evidence shows that all his belongings were intact, hence robbery was indeed not the motive..And though ,an active Voice, on most social issues affecting Goa and her people, most of late Fr Eusebio's articles dont appear to have anything defamatory in nature.. neither was there anything provocative in his conduct to warrant such a drastedly act... More so he is aptly described by many as a very popular,lovable, kind and very helpful person who was also a talented writer and an able administrator.. A lot of questions remain unanswered and one genuinely wonders if they ever will be Its true that various Political parties and leaders have strongly condemed the heinous crime, however the fact remains that mere condemnation does not a crime solve.. Infact frankly speakin, we've heard the expected 'condemnation ' statements made by political parties ad nauseam.. Rather than prevaricating and procrastinating, all the Goverment bodies as well as all sections of society need to consolidate their resources inorder to get to the bottom of this crime. What also is a tad strange is the statement made by the DIG. Ujjwal Mishra, wherein he states that due to the fact that the late priest had dinner with the perpetrators of the crime , it is an indication that it was a personal attack and had no communal inklings.. While, I do agree it is a possibility, but it would indeed be remiss not to realize that the two assailants could have very well, have befriended Fr Eusebio earlier, inorder to win his confidence and hence thereby make it easier for them to commit this heinous act.. Although i agree every crime shouldnt be communalized, inorder for a through investigation to be conducted the police shouldnt be so fast as to strike it off as one of the possibilities of the motive behind it.. This execrable incident simply cannot be relegated to a murder that occured simply due to something going awry .. It was undoubtedly pre-meditated an pre- planned, considering that these two young men have very successfully covered their tracks.. The post-mortem report indicates the cause of death as violent asphyxia due to the combined effect of manual strangulation ans smothering, so why is it that there were 27 wounds (including the incisive wound and multiple incise injuries)inflicted after his death ? Is this monstrous incident going to be consigned to just another heinous crime which is the handiwork of a couple of maniacs? Considering the dearth of evidenciary means , will the exact motive behind this drastardly act ever be discovered? Considering that there just might be communal overtones to this incident , is not the safety of all religious leaders , irrespective of creed , in question ? These are questions that for the sake of all Goans , need answering and fast !! Dr Beverley de Sequeira. Dona Paula. Goa. --- Read all Goanet messages at : http://www.goanet.org/archive.php?name=Newslist=goanet
[Goanet] SUICIDE ---- IS THIS THE NEWEST TREND AMONGST OUR GOAN YOUTH ?
"13 year old boy commits suicide " One of the headlines that appeared in the Goa Dailies on 23rd August 2005... Just another headline toyou ? Think again The reason for the suicide , you ask ? The 13 year old boy, a brilliant student,studying in the VIII std of a school in Margao made the decision to end his life based upon the fact that he did not secure the percentage he expected in his midterm examination. These once sporadicincidents in Goa,are fast snowballing into another trend with no prediliction for any age group I can well remember a time where the word 'suicide' was anathema ---which people spoke about in hushed whispers.And yet today it is commonplace.. Where have we as a society, gone wrong ? Where a 13 year old child can take his life over not getting the marks he expected in an exam, a mid-term for that matter? Are stress levels so gravely high ,right here in Goa, that these children are not able to cope with the demands placed on them by society and inevitable see no reason to go on living ? One could hypothesize at this point and put it down to the increasing stress levels and by virtue of that , the drastic increment in Depression levels ,and one would not be amiss.. Depression , while being one of the foremost causes of suicide in todays world, ranking 4th among the world's major causes of disability and has statistics of approximately 17% of people falling prey to it at some point in their lives, is still not taken seriously in our part of the world and as a direct result of which, most chronically depressed individulals never seek medical attention and ultimately suffer devastating outcomes regarding quality of life issues and suicide . Not only isit is an International Public Health issue with impairments in social and occupational functioning, but italso accounts forincreased risk of mortality and increased comorbidity of psychiatric and medical conditions... Infact due to unawareness, most of these individuals are not even aware that they suffer from this ailment, or if they are , do not seek the requisite medical help to avoid social stigma. No doubt we live in a fast paced world andlife has inadvertantly lost its simplicity. With the steady increase in social, financial and emotional pressures, the rapid growth of urbanization anddearth of social support groups, superimposed on rapidly changing lifestyle and values, stess levels have undoubtedly risen! And yet we do nothing about it Suicide is not a merely a whim for the people who succumb to it... it isnt a cowardly act and itcertainly not an issue to be taken lightly , especially when one considers that so many precious lives have been lost to it. Yes, it is indeed a bad choice .. but remember that,that choiceis made by a mind that is sopermeated and overburdened with excrutiating pain of such magnitudethat it exceeds exceeds resources for contending with the problem and there in itself, is NOT a choice at all. But it certainlyIS a reality ! A reality for those poor souls who succumb to it. A reality for those parents and loved ones who have to live with the grief and the guilt till the end of their days. And undoubtedly , a reality for us, because if we dont awake for our apathy,it can so veryeasily be one of our own children !!! Dr. Beverley A.P. de Sequeira. Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
