Lecture: Of Evil Beneovelence - Sabotaging the Journey of the the Travelling Child Sex Offender
November 19,
2014 at 6.30 pm at the Freemasons Hall
Auditorium, C-in-C Road, Egmore, Chennai
As part of its
Technical Expert in Residence program ,
Tulir - Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse
is pleased to be hosting Ms. Christine Beddoe, former Director
of ECPAT – UK for a fortnight in November 2014.
Tulir - Centre for the Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse
is pleased to be hosting Ms. Christine Beddoe, former Director
of ECPAT – UK for a fortnight in November 2014.
The timeliness
of Ms. Beddoes’s visit cannot be further emphasized;
A recent order of the Madras High Court has impleaded the Secretary,
Ministry
of WCD, Govt of India
in a case of sexual abuse by a foreign national.
A recent order of the Madras High Court has impleaded the Secretary,
Ministry
of WCD, Govt of India
in a case of sexual abuse by a foreign national.
In the past month alone, the UK courts
have rejected an appeal by India for one of their citizens
(an associate of the notorious Freddy Peats) who has been charged with
abusing children in Goa about twenty years ago.
In fact this
was the first case which brought attention to TSCO’s in India.
Additionally, a former British Airways pilot has been convicted of
facilitating abuse of children in India – Bangalore and Chennai in particular.
The issue of TSCO’s is truly global with individuals traveling from country
to country,
seeking to keep offending while evading the law.(The biggest societal blind
spot
with regard to TSCO’s is their compulsiveness and repetitiveness)
Additionally, a former British Airways pilot has been convicted of
facilitating abuse of children in India – Bangalore and Chennai in particular.
The issue of TSCO’s is truly global with individuals traveling from country
to country,
seeking to keep offending while evading the law.(The biggest societal blind
spot
with regard to TSCO’s is their compulsiveness and repetitiveness)
However contrary
to popular belief that the sexual exploitation of children is
tourism related,
obtaining a tourist visa/traveling on a tourist visa is as much as where the
tourism angle ends.
There is mounting evidence, both anecdotal as well as from NGO’s and
police forces to
strongly suggest that the modus operandi of TCSO’s is to seek out
volunteer jobs
as it offers them the perfect guise without arousing any suspicions
but instead being
held in great reverence. This also gives them ample opportunity to
focus on their primary
objective –which is sexual abuse of the children, usually the very same children under
their care and responsibility.
tourism related,
obtaining a tourist visa/traveling on a tourist visa is as much as where the
tourism angle ends.
There is mounting evidence, both anecdotal as well as from NGO’s and
police forces to
strongly suggest that the modus operandi of TCSO’s is to seek out
volunteer jobs
as it offers them the perfect guise without arousing any suspicions
but instead being
held in great reverence. This also gives them ample opportunity to
focus on their primary
objective –which is sexual abuse of the children, usually the very same children under
their care and responsibility.
Needless to state there is no dearth of vulnerable children, in India to
groom and exploit.
groom and exploit.
Mitigating the
overall threat from TCSO offending, however,
remains particularly problematic.
The inevitable socio-cultural and legal barriers hamper - a diffidence
about understanding
the complexities of sexual violence; weak administrative systems of
child protection;
lack of training among professionals with investigating
and prosecuting sexual crime
against children not considered a specialized area; compounded
by archaic procedures
and processes, which are counterproductive to the prosecution
of transnational crime, still prevailing.
remains particularly problematic.
The inevitable socio-cultural and legal barriers hamper - a diffidence
about understanding
the complexities of sexual violence; weak administrative systems of
child protection;
lack of training among professionals with investigating
and prosecuting sexual crime
against children not considered a specialized area; compounded
by archaic procedures
and processes, which are counterproductive to the prosecution
of transnational crime, still prevailing.
This specific
form of sexual violence against children is eminently containable.
The over-riding need is to become as proactive as possible
- to prevent TCSO’s from
offending in the first place rather than just react to them
after they have offended.
For effective redress as well, this would include besides awareness,
plugging the gaps and loopholes in policy and legislation and
most importantly developing a coordinated national response involving
The over-riding need is to become as proactive as possible
- to prevent TCSO’s from
offending in the first place rather than just react to them
after they have offended.
For effective redress as well, this would include besides awareness,
plugging the gaps and loopholes in policy and legislation and
most importantly developing a coordinated national response involving
various Ministries - External and Home Affairs,
Women and Child Development/Social
Justice/Welfare and the sectors they govern.
Women and Child Development/Social
Justice/Welfare and the sectors they govern.
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