Minors vulnerable to sexual predation on Goa beaches, yoga centres: Study

Panaji:  Children are most vulnerable to sexual predators on social media platforms, beaches, and even yoga centres in Goa, a study has revealed.
The study ‘Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children in the Context of Travel and Tourism in Goa’ claimed that the state’s free and easy-going image had influenced the state’s infamy as the sex capital of India and therefore made minors vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
“Hotels/lodges and rented homes provide such tourists with easy access to children. It is impossible for the authorities to monitor such places. Goa is a popular yoga destination.
These places have made children vulnerable. Spas and massage parlours and casinos are openly supplying children,” said the study authored by Dr Ranjana Ferrao, a professor at the VM Salgaocar College of Law in Panaji.
The study published in the latest edition of ‘Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice’ published by Sage Publications also says that social media platforms and websites were key contact points between sexual predators and unsuspecting minors.
Nearly 200 respondents were interviewed for the study.