The travel advisory by the Canadian High Commission specifically for India has come under the scanner amidst rising tensions between the two nations.
The advisory is a long list of pointers for Canadian travellers going to India and what they should be careful with as well as the risk level of certain places in the country.
In the current version, the advisory cautions its women travellers to be extra vigilant in certain places including Delhi, Goa, public transport and more. This it seems has caught the attention of Goa Police, making them come forward to reassure people that the state is safe for female travellers.
What Does The Canadian Advisory Say?
On the official website of the Government of Canada on the ‘Destinations’ page for the country of India, there are several points given for Canadian travellers visiting India.
In the ‘India travel advice‘ page that was last updated on September 18, 2023, there is a section for ‘Women’s safety’.
It is in this sub-section that the advisory cautions how “Crimes committed against women frequently occur in India” and that especially “Foreign women are often the target of unwanted attention.”
It further said that
“Reports of rape and assault against foreign women have increased. You should be particularly vigilant:
- in Goa
- in Delhi
- on all forms of public transportation
- at Yoga centres, ashrams and other places of spiritual retreats”.
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The advisory also cautioned that “local authorities may not always respond adequately to reports of sexual violence and harassment.”
How Did Goa Police React?
Goa Police as per reports released a statement calling out the advisory and saying “The crime statistics also do not support the contention of the advisory.
Particularly, in the current year till Sep 15, 2023, there has only been one incident where a foreign women tourist belonging to the Netherlands was a victim and the accused was arrested.
Similarly, in 2022, there were only two cases – one relating to a Russian national and the other to a British national. In both cases, the accused were immediately arrested.”
Director General of Police (DGP) Jaspal Singh also in his statement said “Although it is part of an overall general advisory cautioning its citizens to be careful while visiting India, however so far as it concerns Goa, it is not based on facts. Foreign tourists particularly women have always preferred Goa as a favourite destination on account of safety & security.”
Singh further said “Therefore, the Canadian advisory is not based on facts. Moreover, the high diplomatic staff belonging to various countries who visit Goa have always complimented Goa about the safe and secure environment it provides to tourists visiting Goa from all parts of the world.”
He also added “Significantly, the last time a crime was committed against a Canadian citizen was in 2015. Thereafter, no Canadian citizen was ever a victim of crime. It shows that this advisory is malicious, malafide and not based on facts and appears to have been issued on account of extraneous reasons.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature Image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: Hindustan Times, Herald Goa, TOI
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Canada advisory, Canada advisory goa, goa, goa dgp, goa police, goa safe, goa women unsafe, Canada travel advisory, Canada travel advisory india, canada india travel advisory
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