Weekly Exposes Child Sex Tourism Boom in India

PANAJI (Goa), Aug 11 (OneWorld) - A decade after Interpol declared the western Indian tourist hotspot of Goa a major pedophile hub, investigations conducted by a national newsweekly using hidden cameras have revealed that hundreds of Europeans visit the state to seek sexual gratification through children. Armed with hours of secret recordings done over five months, the newsweekly Tehelka, which has in the past unearthed serious corruption in military deals and match fixing in international cricket, claims the pedophile trail could be traced all the way to tourists from Britain, Germany, Holland, France, Switzerland and Sweden. Tehelka's candid shots - which were shown on a national TV channel last week - have captured the various aspects of pedophile activity on the island. It says foreign pedophiles find Goa "easy, and cheap, to sexually abuse a child here". Following crackdowns on child-sex tourism across Thailand and Sri Lanka, the "pedophile bus has rolled into Goa," it charges. The findings - which depended also on leaks from official and police records - are shocking. One police memo dating from February 2004 directs the formation of a special team to "collect intelligence about pedophilia." It names eight foreigners, one Dutch, one German and six British. Tehelka produced a fake brochure in the name of a non-existent event management firm called Red Satin with which it was able to easily convince local quarters to agree to hire out young boys and girls for barely camouflaged sexual activities. It went to the home of Jorge Harry Ringlemann, 47, who boasted - on hidden camera - how he hoodwinked the authorities by setting up fake companies to get a long-term residence visa. Ringlemann stays with two young girls, claiming one is his wife and the other an adopted daughter. Both girls were unsure when asked about their age. Tehelka also dug-up a 2001 report, commissioned by the UK government and done by prominent former police investigator Ric Wood, to map the extent of tourism-related pedophilia in Goa. Says the weekly, "Over a two-week period, Wood compiled 37 case histories. The report suggests it is virtually impossible to quantify how many pedophiles visit Goa every year. It's been almost a decade since Interpol declared Goa as the upcoming pedophile destination. Yet the government of India has slipped into deep slumber." Goa's pedophile links were exposed in the Freddy Peat case. A septuagenarian of foreign origin, holding an Indian passport, he was involved in the homosexual abuse of young boys. Peat ran an "orphanage," where he and other foreign visitors abused young boys, till one boy complained and the police unearthed a shocking scam with 2,305 photographs, mostly showing young boys in various stages of sex abuse. Sexual abuse of children is an issue which has been raised by concerned citizens and even the media and nongovernmental organizations in India. But officials have often played down such concerns. Now the blurred images of secret-camera recordings came alive, as people spilled the beans about the goings-on on Indian TV screens. Tehelka has named six foreigners whom it claims are directly involved in pedophilia. Says the paper, "Around $890 million (the amount earned from tourism since 2001)... that's the size of the heap the chief minister will have to dig into, in order to unearth the critically important Ric Wood report." The weekly alleges the Goa administration is more concerned about tourist dollars flying away if the disclosures on pedophilia result in the state being scratched from the list of top tourist destinations in the world. It blames the Goa government for failing to act despite being aware of the situation. "This film and issue pertain to Goa. But it is a national problem and a nationwide issue. Most (pedophiles) featured here travel throughout India," charges journalist Sasikumar, who led the investigative team. The high-profile expose has clearly upset the local government. Head of the state, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar feels the film made by Tehelka (which means 'sensation' in Hindi) is insensitive and will only act as further advertisement for those who get sexual gratification from child abuse. Even the state police have slammed the probe. Senior police officials contend pedophilia isn't such a grave problem in Goa. The arguments they present to duck the issue border on the bizarre. Foreign tourists come in via Bombay so keeping track of offenders is difficult; the police need better training; our constables have only junior school qualifications; hope lies in the online criminal info system. A local newspaper has called for official action against the TV channel that broadcast the Tehelka film. Police officials claim the Tehelka team has itself violated criminal laws - by not sharing information with the police five months earlier. Tehelka sees it differently: "This expose is a startling revelation of Parrikar's passive connivance in turning Goa into a sex tourism destination. As pedophiles roam the streets of Goa, the state government has looked the other way in its quest for more tourism revenues." There are a slew of reactions from activists in the island state, many of whom have welcomed the expose. Remarks advocate Norma Alvares, who has also campaigned on environmental issues, "This is a sordid tale. It makes you sick in the soul. Saying we are shocked by what we see (on the Tehelka film) is an easy way out." Laments Nishta Desai, who heads the NGO, Child Rights in Goa, "We've talked on this issue a number of times. The shortness of public memory is very shocking." Comments veteran campaigner Roland Martins, who has long campaigned on both pedophilia and the rights of small players in the tourism trade, "It's possible (that some locals are involved too). Today, there are three and five-star hotels across the country being raided for prostitution." He stresses that the authorities need to get pro-active and take steps to ensure regular interaction is held with those in the tourism sector to curb such activities. Responding to reports that Jorge Harry Ringleman, a German who prominently featured in the Tehelka tapes, has been arrested by the police, expat Goans following the story via the Internet felt that deportation was too lax a punishment for someone accused of staying with two girls of indeterminate ages -- one claiming to be his wife, and the other his daughter. Says Sasikumar, "The absolute callousness of (Goa) government officials was something that left us disturbed for days." Remarks Bernie D'Souza of a nongovernmental organization working with street children in south Goa, "See how the police treat citizens when they come forward to complain. There is inaction by the state and police, and constant complaints. They accept (that paedophilia is) happening at one level, and deny it at another level." Ms D'Souza was reportedly herself involved with complaints over another British tourist, John Colin Middleton, who finally gave Goa the slip, thanks to a lackadiasical approach by the police. Tehelka, meanwhile, has presented a charter of demands. It wants the arrest and prosecution of all offenders exposed in the tapes and demands that India's federal government direct Goa to release the Ric Wood report on pedophilia in Goa. It has called for a manhunt against pedophiles operating in various Indian tourist destinations, setting up of a National Child Rights Commission for India and barring suspected foreign pedophiles from entering the country.

Related links

User comments

There are no comments

 Printable version