the goan I network
MARGAO
Illegal adoptions and trafficking of children seem to have raised its ugly head in the commercial capital with two instances of illegal sale of children coming to light in the city in the last two months.
In both the cases, the male children’s parents happened to be from outside the state “ one from Manipur and the other from the neighbouring country of Nepal.
In the case of the six-month old Nepali baby, city-based women and children’s rights activist, Auda Viegas, said that the woman concerned has baptized the Hindu child of the Nepali parents, who she illegally retained in her custody for six months till the helpless mother found a generous religious sister to accompany her to the police station.
“In this case, the Nepali woman was deprived of the male child for six months due to her helplessness, vulnerability and threats. The police will have to protect the family from any harm from the accused,” Auda said, adding that the Manipuri woman was threatened with dire consequences if she continued to reside any longer in Goa. “In both the cases, the vulnerability of being outsiders with no knowledge of the law and with no one to guide them fully makes them open for exploitation in the state,” she added.
Auda has demanded stringent action for those who use force and money or any other mode for snatching children for adoption/sale of organs or any form of trafficking.
“In the case of the Nepali family, the police should inquire as to when, where and how money amounting to Rs four lakh was handed over to the family in lieu of adopting their child. The police should also investigate how the family was made to accept the money on a stamp paper,” she demanded.
Auda said that hospitals should fix photographs of the parents of the new born on the birth details provided for the registration of birth, adding that any family desiring to adopt a child should comply with proper procedures and guidelines and approach the established adoption agencies.
Saying that Goa is the first state in the country to have the Goa Children’s Act, Auda has
demanded to know how such rampant violations still take place in the state despite the law in force.
