MARGAO
Children’s rights activist Auda Viegas has threatened to come on the streets with women if the police do not arrest the labour contractor for the rape of the minor girl in Canacona as the incident involving three security guards had taken place at a construction site.
“We the women will not rest unless the police zero in on either the labour contractor or the builder in connection with the rape of the girl at the construction site,” Auda demanded at a media briefing on Thursday.
She said while the women appreciated the quick arrest of the three accused security guards involved in the repeated rape of the six year old girl, Auda said the unsafe dwelling provided to the father of the victim child with no day-care entre to ensure the safety of non-schooling children is also responsible for their vulnerability.
She said the labour contractors have a duty to protect minor children from exploitation and abuse and to make living safe for children. “The onus of reporting child abuse lies with the employer, who engages these alleged child molesters and rapists, who probably used the premises provided to them by their employer for their perverted acts,” she said.
She demanded to know whether information was provided to the police about these security guards and whether their antecedents were checked by the employer. “Child abuse is the worst form of crime and if the rapist and the abettor of the rape incident go scot-free, more will be encouraged to rape our children and destroy their life,” she added.
While saying that women expect the chargesheet against the rapists to be strong making case for severe punishment, Auda demanded that the labour contractor be also made accountable for the incident. “He should also be arrested and receive equivalent punishment for the rape of the minor,” she demanded, while saying the police should have a system to verify the background of those employed as security guards.
