Goa: ‘Rape survivors terrorised, often told to marry accused’

PANAJI: For rape and sexual abuse survivors, especially minors, the ordeal does not end with seeking legal recourse. The state’s Victim Assistance Unit (VAU) has revealed that, for many of them, a new struggle arises in the form of intimidation at the hands of the accused, who are out on bail, and that, despite several complaints to the authorities, no agency is taking any action.

“In addition to being terrorised, survivors are also frequently subjected to pressure tactics by the perpetrator’s family in the form of a bribe or a marriage proposal from the accused,” VAU in-charge Emidio Pinho told TOI.
Such intimidation, he said, has become the new norm. “It is resulting in survivors losing faith in the justice system and then turning hostile,” he said.
Of the many cases that the unit has reported to the police, Pinho highlighted one where the father of a survivor complained to the Goa children’s court and police that the accused was intimidating and stalking his daughter, a minor.
“The father of a survivor is seeking justice. To date, the survivor continues to face abuse by the perpetrator, who was released on bail,” stated Pinho in his letter to the director general of police.
After approaching the investigating officer several times and getting no resolution, the father approached the VAU.
“The survivor called our office to inform us that the perpetrator had come to school, stopped her scooter, and kept staring at her. I believe that the perpetrator was released on the condition that he does not intimidate or interfere with the victim or witnesses,” said Pinho.
The father of the survivor said that the accused harasses his daughter by posting photographs of her that are in his possession on social media.
“My daughter informed her school counsellor about this as well. The accused is also often seen waiting outside my residence, waiting for my daughter. The accused also waited for my daughter on the road near her school. I have informed the police about this,” the complaint of the survivor’s father reads.
With no agency taking any action against rape accused who are violating bail conditions by indulging in intimidation of the victim, Pinho termed it a "mockery" of the conditions.
“One should understand the trauma the survivor is undergoing. The fact that the victim has come forward to report such intimidation must be taken seriously,” he said.
In one such rape case, a minor died by suicide in 2012 after the accused teacher had been released on bail. The survivor’s father had filed a complaint against the accused on the suspicion that he might have called or interfered with the victim, either directly or indirectly, after his release from jail.