By Armstrong Vaz, Qatar

• Child exploitation thrives in coastal tourism paradise

Panaji Sept 15, 2007: Goa, a former Portuguese colony on the western coast of India is one of the popular tourist destinations for foreigners during the tourist season. The small state ranks high as far as human development and per capital income in comparison to the rest of the country. The high level of per capital income is fuelled by its overseas Indians’ contributions, tourism industry and mining economy.

But there is darker side to the human growth and a fall out of the tourism trade- Child labour, exploitation of migrant children and trafficking of humans.

Goa since the start of the 70's has attracted a large number of unskilled and semi-skilled workers from other states. The migration fuelled due to the non-availability of manual labor within the state. Further the developmental activity initiated in the State and the booming tourism business, continues to fuel demand for more labour from across the state borders.

And that was not enough there is seasonal migration. With the onset of the every tourism season hordes of migrant labour force move into Goa from across the state borders from Karnataka and Maharashtra to do business on the beaches or work at the temporary seasonal shacks. One of the migrating tribal group are the Lamani community.

A community, whose numbers have been increased significantly ever since they first entered the state in the late 70's.

The children of the Lamanis’ are the high-risk group who are vulnerable to fall into the trap set by the different vice dens of the tourism trade.

These children are sometimes not accompanied by their parents but come to Goa along with relatives or with some close neighbors, in search of employment in order to escape poverty and hunger. But there are agents or an organized racket which exploits the children for commercial gains, who bring children and women into the state to work as domestic labor.

These underprivileged children are one of the identified groups who are vulnerable children in the context of child labour, child abuse and the commercial sexual exploitation.

WHO ARE TRAFFICKED INTO GOA FOR LABOUR OR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION?

Children trafficked into the state are for either domestic work or other forms of labour (including begging) or commercial sexual exploitation and become victims of abuse.

Children likely to fall for the bait for a better life and exploitation by unscrupulous agents are from children abandoned by their families, children of prisoners, children whose parents are either alcoholics or substance abusers.

The vulnerable group extends to children from broken homes, children who belong to single parent families or are born to unwed mothers, children living in areas affected by communal riots.

And there are some child laborers who have run away from home and have come here in search of work.

WHERE THEY WORK

The children are mainly employed in the unorganized sector, selling plastic bags, fish, vegetables or fruits in the markets, rag-picking, off-loading fish and vegetables from trucks that come to the main markets

Some find way to work as domestic workers, at construction sites, in garages, in shops as sales persons or helpers, in small hotels and restaurants, and shoe-shine boys.

On the beach-side they can be seen selling peanuts, beer or handicrafts to tourists or as masseurs on the beach.

In the construction activity, they find work as sand-sifters along the coast where sand is loaded for the construction business.

They can also be found working on fishing trawlers.

And they also entertain you as gymnasts performing different tricks to entertain passersby and tourists in different cities and on the beaches to survive for a living.

Some take to begging on the beaches either forced by their agents or their families to sustain themselves and their families.

For majority of them school is a distant mirage, while some drop out of school as they think it is not a feasible option, others find it very difficult to cope with the formal system of education.

The children are also vulnerable for exploitation by the pedophiles. Goa which is one of the hot destinations for pedophile and where the first case of pedophile broke out in and the state thereafter has brought in tough legislation to curb the menace.

Foreigners manage to earn the trust and confidence of the young children by showering them with gifts and money and enticing them into their vice den.

Most child abuse victims often turn to substance abuse and alcohol as a route to escape and endure the problems they encounter.

With the start of the tourist season a few weeks away groups working with children have challenges to encounter in prevention of abuse with children in different sectors of Goan society.

Groups work on prevention of trafficking of minors into prostitution, rehabilitation programmes for victims of trafficking and abuse, conduct awareness programmes about child rights in schools and with Parent Teacher Associations.

Goa like the rest of India has a 24-hour toll free phone help line service that reaches out to children in distress but to put an end to the exploitation of children, different sectors of Goan society should join hands with the right groups in putting to an end the exploiting of the tender minds. Every effort should be made to give them their rightful right to have their freedom as children.

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