Panaji: In the third incident of child sexual assault reported in Goa in four days, an eight-year-old primary school student was allegedly sexually assaulted by a 13-year-old secondary school student in the toilet of a govt-aided school in the Tiswadi taluka on Oct 30. The incident has raised concern amid allegations that the school administration tried to hush up the matter and pursue a ‘mutual settlement’ instead of immediately reporting it to the police.This case comes after a toddler was raped at an abandoned building in Mapusa by a migrant worker from Dharwad on Sunday, and a four-year-old by a migrant worker from Bihar in Canacona on Tuesday.State govt’s victim assistance unit (VAU) wrote to the Goa police on Tuesday, seeking registration of an FIR for an alleged Pocso offence involving the eight-year-old primary school student, as well as the alleged failure of the school authorities to report the offence.According to the complaint, the eight-year-old boy went to use the school toilet when he was allegedly intercepted by the 13-year-old student, who allegedly took him into a toilet cubicle and sexually assaulted him. The child informed his teacher immediately.Following the mother’s complaint, the school authorities convened a meeting involving representatives of the primary and secondary sections. In his communication to the police, VAU in-charge Emidio Pinho said that the school authorities allegedly attempted to deal with the matter through informal discussions and a proposed settlement between the parties. The mother stated that she rejected any such verbal settlement or compromise.The minutes of the meeting record that the management told the parent it had directed the child accused of assault to undergo a psychological evaluation. The minutes also state that it was suggested a guard be stationed outside the toilet to monitor students, and that an undertaking was taken from the student describing the act he had allegedly committed.The VAU said the conduct of the headmistress/principal of the primary school and the headmistress/principal of the secondary school requires examination, given their alleged knowledge of the incident and the subsequent attempt to resolve it internally. Pinho said he was concerned the alleged sexual abuse on school premises was treated as an internal disciplinary issue rather than being immediately reported to competent authorities, as required under law, thereby violating provisions of the Pocso Act and a circular issued by the education department.Citing alleged violations of statutory obligations, the VAU has requested police to take action under the Pocso Act, 2012, and the Goa Children’s Act, 2003, against the school authorities and the child in conflict with the law.
